


An Unexpected Friend

by NotDeadYet16



Category: Naruto, Naruto (Anime) RPF
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-01-23 08:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 68,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotDeadYet16/pseuds/NotDeadYet16
Summary: Kokoro Hatake knew that she had to do everything in her power to let Gaara know how much he meant to her and the world. Problem was she had to also convince one angry Ichibi to chill out, too.
Relationships: Gaara (Naruto) & Original Character(s), Gaara (Naruto) & Original Female Character(s), Gaara (Naruto)/Original Character(s), Gaara (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, Kakashi is way too young to have a kid in the manga/anime, so his age will be bumped up a bit. Also, anything recognizable - character, plot points, quotes, etc. are not mine and belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto.

Kakashi Hatake stared down with confusion at the small bundle occupying the space in front of his door. He looked down the hallway - left and right - of the floor his room was situated on. There was no one in sight. He listened carefully for the sound of footsteps but found that there were none. With a sigh, he glanced back down at the bundle and weighed his options. He could leave the thing out in the hallway and hope someone took it, or he could take it into his room and try to figure out what was going on. Seeing as he was a curious person, Kakashi picked the thing up and brought it into his room.

He made his way into the small living space and placed the bundle on his black couch before he unwrapped the unexpected 'gift'. His eyes grew wide and his mouth popped open underneath his black mask when he caught a glimpse of the thing inside. Well, it wasn't a thing but a baby. A little baby about five months old with a head full of black and silver hair and dark eyes stared up at him with a calm expression. Judging by the light pink blanket the baby had been swaddled in, it was a girl. Crumpled up next to the baby girl was a note. Kakashi picked it up and opened it, smoothing out the wrinkles so he could read it easier. 

_ Kakashi, _

_ This was definitely unexpected. We only shared a night together, yet we still made a little miracle. Alas, I cannot keep her. My parents were quite unforgiving when they found out that I was pregnant. They wanted me to marry an important man within the nation and have a family with him, not get knocked up by a strange ninja from a feuding land.  _

_ I was forced to hide my pregnancy from everyone and delivered this little girl in secret. I was only given a few moments with her before she was ripped from my arms. They were going to ship her off to some orphanage in another nation, but I begged and pleaded with them not to. I gave them your name, I told them who you were so she could live a better life.  _

_ I understand if you are upset. A baby was not what either of us wanted, what with your profession and my future. I only hope you can give her the love and attention that I cannot. Please give her the love and attention she deserves.  _

_ Fear not, I have already named her, so you won't have to worry about that. Her name is Kokoro. I didn't know if you wanted to give her your last name, so I just gave her mine. The choice is yours. _

_ Akane  _

Kakashi was shocked to learn that the little girl in front of him - Kokoro - was his. He remembered Akane from a mission he had in the Land of Water. He was to guard her as she traveled to collect a package from the Land of Tea. He was only supposed to watch over her, but one night, Akane asked him to lay with her. She said she was lonely and wanted to experience  _ something _ before she was to be married to an unknown man. One thing led to another and the two spent the night as lovers. It was just some harmless fun between two lonely people. Kakashi never thought a baby would come out of all of it.

Glancing back down at Kokoro lying on his couch, he picked her up awkwardly, not quite used to holding a baby. He stared into her dark eyes that reminded him so much of his own. But there was more light in them. More innocence. She looked more like Akane, though. Kokoro’s skin tone matched her mother’s; a rich brown color. And her hair was the same shade of black - jet black - save for a few strands which held his silvery hair color. Her facial features so closely resembled Akane’s, allowing Kakashi to conclude that she would be beautiful when she grew up.

Sighing into the black mask covering the bottom half of his face, Kakashi carefully sat down and thought about his options. He wasn’t father material. He had just turned eighteen and was still an ANBU Black Ops. He didn’t have time to take care of a child. Hell, he rarely had time to rest! There was no one to feed her, either. She was too young to eat any kind of real food, meaning she needed to be breastfed. He rubbed a hand down his face and slumped against the couch. He thought of his sensei, Minato Namikaze, and wondered what he would do in his situation. He thought back to Minato’s son and how ashamed he felt for not keeping his promise by watching over him. How could he, though when the beast that had killed his sensei was now buried within the boy? Not to mention the fact that he was so swallowed up by self-pity and depression. 

Kakashi saw how the villagers treated Naruto, how they treated orphans, in general. He didn’t want Kokoro to have to experience that kind of pain and humiliation. He didn’t want her to feel alone, like how he felt. He didn’t want her to feel like no one was there for her. Standing up and making his way into his bedroom, he softly placed Kokoro on the bed and watched over her until she fell asleep a few minutes later. He left her there as he went in search of someone to help him. He was dead tired - it was morning and he had just come back from a 5-day mission - but he was determined to take care of his daughter. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do, but she was his and he protected what was his.

* * *

Kokoro threw the kunai, watching as it hit the target. Although it was stuck to the red and white board, it was not sitting in the middle circle. It was a few centimeters south of where Kokoro wanted it. She frowned. She sighed and walked over to where it was. She practiced for hours and still, she couldn't get it to where she wanted it. She pulled it out, ready to mope back to the starting point when someone's hand came down hard on her head. She winced at the contact and scowled when it stayed there. She knew exactly who it was.

"Seriously, dad?" she asked him. Kakashi removed his hand from her head and used it to rub his head. A sheepish look overtook his features as his daughter stared up at him. He snatched the kunai from her hands, a sound of protest coming out of Kokoro's mouth as soon as it happened. He motioned for her to follow him back to her starting point and showed her how she should hold the kunai to throw it. Placing it in her hand, he motioned for her to throw it. Both of them watched as it sailed through the air and hit the center with a loud  _ thunk _ ! Kakashi smirked at her and motioned for her to grab it and throw it again. With a determined look upon her face, she threw it again. A frown marred her face. It hit the outside ring.

"You threw it wrong," Kakashi told her with a shake of his head. He ripped the kunai from its position and showed her how to throw it again. She threw it perfectly the first time, and wrong the second time. Kokoro growled in frustration and plopped onto the ground. Her arms were crossed as she stared out at the tree line in front of her.

"You keep reverting back to  _ your _ form even though I've shown you the  _ correct _ form. Why?" he, more or less, demanded an answer from her. 

" _ Your _ way makes it  _ harder  _ to hold it," she complained. " _ My _ way makes it  _ easier _ to hold it."

" _ Your _ way messes with the accuracy of the throw. If you want easy, then don't even bother training," he said dismissively. He watched her internally battle with herself for a moment before she rolled her eyes and got up from the ground. She held a hand out, waiting impatiently for the kunai to be in her possession. Kakashi chuckled as he slapped it in her hand and demonstrated the right form for her once more. He watched her watch him closely, intent on perfecting her throw. The next ten times the kunai hit the target with deadly precision. Kokoro clapped for her achievement and turned to her father with glee. He patted her on the shoulder and gave her his infamous eye smile. Satisfied, Kokoro finished her training for the day.

Kakashi led the two of them into their house, grabbing a glass of water for his daughter. He sat down at the table and watched as she gulped it down. She placed it on the table and sat opposite him. Kakashi studied his daughter before speaking. She was only four years of age, yet she was already so pretty. Her black hair had grown several inches, now laying past her shoulders in a tightly coiled pattern. There were more silver strands in her hair, most falling underneath the black strands. Her once dark eyes were slowly changing pigment; the area surrounding her pupils was a light gray leaking outwards into the blacks of her irises. Her eyelashes were long. Her lips a natural pink. Her face was surrounded by baby fat.

_ 'Yes' _ , Kakashi thought, ' _ she was going to be trouble when she was older.' _

"So, what's up?" Kokoro asked. She knew he wanted to tell her something, but she was too impatient to stick around much longer to find out what it was. She wanted to go play outside. She always played tag and hide-and-seek with the other kids her age in the afternoons.

"I have a mission. One that requires me to leave Konoha for more than a week."

"Where are you going?"

"Sunagakure."

"Why?"

"The Hokage is trusting me with something important.''

"And you can't tell me what the mission is?"

"No. Hokage's orders."

"Where will I be staying? Can I come with you?"

"You'll be staying with Kurenai. No, you can't come."

"Why not?" Kokoro asked with a pout. Their conversations always went like this when Kakashi had to go on a mission. Kokoro needed to know this information - where he was going, why he was going, for how long he was going. It was for her sanity's sake. He was all she had, and at four years old, she already understood that. She didn't want to live a life without him, without family. 

"Because I won't be able to take care of you while I'm there," Kakashi sternly said. He was not ready to have this conversation with her yet again.

"I won't cause trouble! Besides, I'm almost five!" she raised her voice as she held up five fingers. Her lips were jutted out and her dark eyebrows were furrowed.

"Koko-"

"Please, daddy," Kokoro pleaded as she got up from her seat and made her way over to him. She looked up at him with her big eyes and widened them ever so slightly so that they would start watering. Kakashi put his hands over his head and rubbed them in a downward motion. He wanted to give her what she wanted, but he needed to stay focused during his mission. It was very important. 

Seeing as how her dad was not giving in to her, she muttered out a "whatever", eyes watering, and stalked out of the room. She was in her room for a split second before she re-entered the kitchen. After a snack and a water bottle was secured on her person, she left the house, slamming the door in the process. Kakashi let out the breath he was holding and let his head hang. He knew where she was going, so he wasn't worried about her whereabouts. What he was worried about was how to please her and his Hokage. He knew that she couldn't get her way every time. He instilled that in her from the very beginning. But he hated it when she was so upset with him. He knew that she just missed him. 

He had just gotten back from a long mission. It really wasn't his fault, but he needed to take these missions so that the two of them could live comfortably. Besides, it was his duty as a leaf shinobi to serve the Hokage. While the war had already ended, there was still tension between the nations. He was needed at home with Kokoro, yes, but he was also needed on missions for the village.

Thinking about it a bit more, an idea struck. He stood up abruptly and headed for the Hokage's office. When he got there, he knocked on the Hokage's door, waiting to be called in. The sight that met him was normal; the Hokage was sitting at his desk, smoking a pipe. The Third Hokage was an older gentleman. Wrinkles were apart of his facial features, etched deep within his face, and he had a few liver spots dotted across his face. His hair was white with age and a knowing was buried deep within his eyes.

"Kakashi," was all he said as a greeting.

"Lord Third," Kakashi greeted. "I have a few questions about my upcoming mission."

The Third Hokage put down his pipe and stared at one of his best shinobi. He nodded his head slightly and Kakashi took it as a sign to continue.

"The Kazekage," he started, "has children of his own, right?"

The Hokage hummed and said, "Yes. They're about Kokoro's age. How is your daughter, Kakashi?"

"She's as stubborn and spirited as ever," Kakashi answered. The Hokage laughed as he remembered the few memories he had of her. She was not shy in telling him how much she hated her dad going on so many missions. She made her voice known, and when he told her such, she immediately thanked him and shied away. She was different than the other kids who looked up to him, and he enjoyed that. She reminded him of little Naruto.

"And I'm assuming she is against your next mission, as well?"

"Well, you know her. She speaks her mind and wants it to go her way."

"Yes, qualities of a leader, and of a rebel," the Hokage mused. "I suppose you want to take her with you this time."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, he knew he shouldn't be surprised. The Hokage always knew what was going on somehow. 

"Yes. I figure it might do her some good seeing another village."

"I see." 

The Hokage picked up his pipe and took a long drag. He saw no problem with it. It might even make the tensions between the two villages lessen. An arranged marriage of sorts, maybe. Kakashi was a renowned shinobi. Many knew of him and his talents, and anyone would be willing to have his daughter marry their son.

"So be it. But I caution you, Kakashi: Don't let her distract you from your mission," the Hokage agreed.

"Of course, Lord Third. Thank you."

Kakashi left the Hokage's office pleased. Kokoro would be happy to not only go on the mission with him but also to see another shinobi village. Her curiosity was astronomical. She wanted to know every and anything. Kakashi didn't have all the answers. When she came to him with a question he only had the answer of "I don't know" to, she'd get frustrated and demand him to give her another answer. Again, he'd tell her "I don't know" only for her to search for a book to help satiate her desires. It was hard pleasing such a brilliant child and Kakashi could only wonder if his father felt the same way.

The first thing he saw when he entered his house was Kokoro. She was sitting on the floor reading a book on chakra control. She must have been intrigued by something she saw. He smiled in her direction and set out to bond with her and tell her the good news. He sat beside her and asked her what she was reading. All he received was a grunt, causing him to feel a bit awkward. He briefly mentioned that he could help her with her chakra control, but all he got in response was a huff. Not getting anywhere, he decided to finally drop the bomb.

"I went to the Hokage's office today," he said flippantly. He grabbed his own book - Icha Icha Paradise - from his person and started reading it.

"So what?" Kokoro said with attitude. It piqued her interest, but she was still upset about it all.

"He told me the Kazekage has children of his own, probably about your age."

"Why would I care about his kids?"

"Don't get angry with me, Koko. I just thought you might want a few new friends."

At this, Kokoro looked up from her big and stared at her dad. She couldn't believe what he was implying. Was she finally gonna be able to go with him on a mission?

"We leave in a few days."


	2. Chapter 2

The trek to Sunagakure was long and tiring for Kokoro. She wasn't used to walking such long distances and her stamina wasn't up to par with her dad's. When they finally reached the outskirts of the village, Kakashi had to carry Kokoro across the sand, else it would take that much longer to get to their destination. All in all, it took them twice as long as it would have if Kakashi had gone by himself. The man didn't mind, though. It was nice spending time with his daughter. He had shown her a couple of jutsus to continue her training. He promised he'd help her perfect them as soon as they got back from Suna, but he told her to practice the sequence of hand signs to get started. She smiled wide when she mastered one and showed him perfectly with quick precision. He was so proud.

When they approached the gates to the village, they were stopped and asked to identify themselves.

"Kakashi Hatake and Kokoro Hatake," Kakashi told them. One of the guards nodded and signaled for the rest to let them through.

"The Kazekage has been awaiting your arrival," the guard said.

"It took longer than expected," Kakashi replied. The guard 'hmphed' and started leading the two to the Kazekage's office. Kakashi had to constantly pull Kokoro along as she stopped to observe everything in their vicinity. Which was a lot. She admired the bustling market and the fashion that was so different yet similar at the same time to Konoha's clothing. Everyone there seemed to dress in layers, probably to protect themselves from the heat and the sand. The scenery was pretty boring - sand everywhere and neutral colors - but there was something pretty about it all.

"Keep up, Kokoro," Kakashi reprimanded her. She nodded her head absently as she got lost in the views once again. Kakashi sighed and decided to just pick her up so they could arrive faster. Kokoro protested but stopped when she saw his visible eye sternly staring at her. She ducked her head and hid her face in his neck. He patted her back in response.

When they arrived at the doors leading into the Kazekage's office, Kakashi let Kokoro down. The shinobi leading them knocked on the door twice before entering the room. Sitting at a desk in the center of the room was the fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure. He had dull red hair and a hard exterior. His eyes, as they stared directly at her, were serious and without much emotion. There was a big difference between the Hokage and the Kazekage. Kokoro hid behind her dad's legs, trying in vain to take the attention off of her form.

"Kakashi Hatake," the Kazekage said suddenly.

"Yondaime Kazekage," Kakashi said automatically as he bowed his head. Catching her dad's eye, Kokoro followed her dad's example. Both of them raised their head and waited for the Kazekage to speak.

"And who might this be?" he asked curiously, eyeing Kokoro once again.

"This," Kakashi started. He pulled Kokoro in front of him and continued, "is my daughter, Kokoro."

"It's nice to meet you, Yondaime Kazekage," Kokoro said in a small voice.

"Your daughter?" the Kazekage mused. He spaced out for a second before a small grin fixated itself on his face. "I have two sons around your age. And a daughter, too."

Kakashi grimaced under his mask as he followed the Kazekage's thoughts. There was no way he was going to arrange a marriage between Kokoro and one of the Kazekage's sons. He wouldn't take that choice away from her and he certainly didn't want to have to be related in any way to the Kazekage. He wasn't the kind of person he spent his time around. Still, he didn't voice his thoughts. He had business to take care of while he was there and he needed to be on the Kazekage's good side to be successful.

"That's part of the reason I brought her with me," Kakashi said with a fake eye smile.

"Oh?" the Kazekage inquired, waiting for Kakashi to further explain.

"Kokoro's been wanting to travel for some time and I figured she would have some fun spending time with your children," Kakashi said as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. The Kazekage hummed for a second before he ordered one of his guards to fetch his children. About ten minutes later, three small figures walked into the room along with the missing guard. Kokor studies the three children closely. The tallest was a girl with four, spiky ponytails in her blonde hair. Her eyes were green and she held an air of authority. Kokoro concluded that she was the oldest. Next was a boy with messy brown hair and dark eyes. She figured he was the second oldest by the height difference between him and the last child. The last kid stood away from his other siblings, whether by choice or not. He was much smaller than the other two - even Kokoro was taller than him. He had fiery red hair and sea foam green eyes. There were dark circles around his eyes, almost like he hadn't slept in days. But when he blinked his eyes, the black covered his eyelids. Kokoro didn't know what to make of it. He didn't have any eyebrows either, which didn't look as bad as it sounded. He held a brown teddy bear in his hands and looked at her with innocent curiosity.

"Kokoro Hatake," the Kazekage said, gaining her attention, "these are my children. Children, introduce yourselves."

The blonde stepped forward first and said, "I'm Temari. Nice to meet you."

It was said with a hint of formality, letting Kokoro know that the three of them had probably been groomed for such interactions. The brown-haired boy stepped forward next and mimicked his sister, introducing himself as Kankuro. The last boy stared at the ground in shyness before he stepped forward and made eye contact with Kokoro. There was a slight blush to his cheeks as he introduced himself as Gaara.

"It's nice to meet you three," Kokoro said with sincerity and happiness. A smile was attached to her face and her eyes were shaped into moons, just like her father's were when he smiled. "I'm Kokoro Hatake."

"Why don't the three of you get acquainted. I have some business to attend to with Kokoro's father," the Kazekage said, shooing them out of the office. His children nodded their heads and walked out the door and into the hallway. The older two continued to walk down the hallway, but Gaara stopped when he realized that Kokoro wasn't following them. He looked behind him and stared at Kokoro. She caught his glance and immediately looked away at her dad. Kakashi patted her head in affection and said, "Go ahead, Kokoro. I'll come find you later for dinner."

Satisfied, Kokoro left the room and watched as the door shut in her face. She frowned and continued eyeing the door, wondering if it was a good idea to abandon her dad with the Kazekage. She felt a tug on her shirt and cast her eyes to the perpetrator. Gaara stood there with a guilty look. He was staring at the ground again.

"Do you want to go play?" he asked in a sweet tone. She glanced at the door once more and agreed to Gaara's question. He brightened and grabbed her hand, guiding her outside. The sun blinded her for a moment before her eyes adjusted. He led her to a playground. There were other children there playing with each other. Kokoro got excited. She loved playing with other kids her age. She especially loved playing ninja and tag. Although her training had already started, she found she had a lot of fun when she pretended she could do ninjutsu and taijutsu. It didn't take up her chakra and she wasn't scolded for her mistakes. Way too excited, Kokoro took the lead, pulling a wide-eyed Gaara towards the jungle gym. She climbed up the ladder as quickly as she could and gestured for Gaara to join her. She slid down the slide and went to repeat her actions when she saw Gaara standing there doing nothing. She walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to play, too?"

He looked around at the other kids, causing Kokoro to do the same. She frowned when she realized the other kids were keeping their distance from Gaara and some were even glaring at him. One brave kid walked up to Kokoro and pulled her by the elbow away from her new friend.

"What are you doing?" the little girl asked frantically.

"I'm playing with my new friend," Kokoro answered. The end of her sentence lilted, showing her confusion.

The boy shook his head and said, "You must be a visitor to town, so I guess you don't know, but you have to stay away from him."

"Gaara?" Kokoro asked, making sure the soft-spoken boy was who they were talking about.

"Yes! He's a monster! My mom says I have to stay away from him or he'll kill me," the boy said, trying to convince her to get away from Gaara. All Kokoro did was frown. She tried picturing Gaara killing anyone, but no such picture came to mind. There was no way someone as sweet and reserved as Gaara would hurt anyone. Not on purpose, at least. She ripped her elbow out of the boy's grasp and stomped over to Gaara. Gaara was surprised when she ordered him to follow her in a gruff voice. She ordered him to get on the swing so she could push him. She was mad at the other kids and wasn't in the mood to play anymore. When no movement came from Gaara, she grew frustrated and asked him why he wasn't getting on the swing.

"You don't," he stopped for a moment to look down at the sand before he looked into her eyes. Kokoro gasped at the intensity of pain and sadness in his pretty eyes. She was young, yes, but she had seen a similar look in her father's eyes when he spaced out. His eyes were haunted and covered with a thick layer of loss and suffering.

"You don't hate me," Gaara finished in a small voice. He was so quiet, Kokoro had trouble hearing what he said. But she caught it. And she understood the magnitude of the situation she was in.

"Why would I?" she asked. "There all a bunch of losers for being scared of you and leaving you by yourself."

"But - I don't understand," Gaara said. His face pinched and if he had eyebrows, Kokoro was sure they'd be scrunched together.

"My dad told me something once," she said, garnering his attention away from his troubling thoughts. "He told me a story about one of his teammates and how much they fought. When his teammate died, dad realized how much he meant to him and regretted being so mean to him."

Gaara concentrated on Kokoro's story. He didn't know where it led, but he was intrigued.

"The one thing dad learned from his teammate, the one thing he cherishes the most from his memories of his teammate is this: Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their friends are even worse than scum."

Gaara contemplated her words, but couldn't understand how they fit in his situation. They weren't shinobi yet and there weren't any laws against interacting with him.

"I know it doesn't exactly fit this situation," Kokoro said sheepishly, "but I figured it might just a little. Those kids are abandoning you because they fear you, but they're supposed to be your friends. That makes them worse than scum."

"But they don't have to be my friend," Gaara said with a slight pout.

"No, but I'm sure you'll see most of them in the Academy, which means some of them could be your teammates. You can't be on a mission with them and then suddenly die because they abandon you in the middle of it."

"But-"

"No 'buts'," Kokoro said, placing a finger on his lips to make him quiet. "They're your peers. They should at least acknowledge you with neutrality. Instead, they fear you and cower away from you like cowards!"

Gaara looked at her in amazement. No one had ever stood up for him or ever went out of their way to play with him. He felt a warm feeling spread over his chest and throughout his body.

Kokoro looked down at him and smiled brightly. She could see how impacted he was by her words. She tried wrapping her arms around him to hug him and show him how much she cared for him, but she was stopped by a wall of sand. She recoiled in shock. Gaara stared at her wide eyes and immediately thought he had lost a friend. He dropped his head so that his chin almost touched his chest and seemed to hunch over. Kokoro, still dazed from what had happened, looked at how depressed her new friend got by her reaction. She held out her hand as if she was about to touch him, but stopped when she remembered what had happened a second ago. Dropping her hand, she opted to talk instead and said, "That was kind of cool, Gaara. Does that always happen?"

Gaara's head jerked up in surprise and his mouth popped open to form an 'o'. His mouth closed, opened, then closed again as shock ran throughout his body.

"You aren't....scared?" he asked timidly.

"I was a little scared because it shot up so fast," Kokoro confessed, "but I'm okay. You didn't hurt me and now that I'm not scared anymore, it was pretty cool."

"Really?" Gaara asked in a bright voice.

"Yeah!" Kokoro shouted in glee. "I've never seen someone do that before! Does it do that all the time?" she asked as she sat down on one of the swings. Her feet were getting tired and she didn't feel like sitting on the ground and getting sand in her clothes. She wasn't exactly dressed for the weather. Gaara mirrored her and sat on the swing next to her. He started pumping his legs, just like she did and smiled at her.

"It does it all the time!" he said loudly, making sure she heard him. Her mood lessened a little as she heard his response.

"Doesn't it get lonely, though?" she asked. Gaara faltered at this.

"I mean, no one is allowed to touch you. Don't you ever want a hug?" she asked.

"Sometimes," Gaara said sadly. "But I never get hurt!" he said positively. Kokoro nodded her head and a smalls mile grew on her face.

"That's good! I don't want my friend to be hurt."

"Friend?" Gaara said with a lilt, almost as if he was testing the word on his tongue.

"Yeah!" Kokoro said. "You're my friend, Gaara."

They swung on the swings for a handful of minutes until they grew bored with it and started chasing each other around. It was the most fun Gaara had ever had in his life. He couldn't wait until he told his uncle all about it. They played until the sky started to darken. Kokoro stopped in her tracks, causing Gaara to bump into her and fall on a soft pile of sand. Her stomach growled, causing a small blush to stain her cheeks. She wondered where her dad was and why he was taking so long.

"What's wrong?" Gaara asked her.

"Nothing," she said as she brushed off his concerns. "I'm just hungry."

"We can get a snack from my house," he suggested.

"Okay," Kokoro agreed. As they started walking in the direction of Gaara's house, Temari and Kankuro appeared. They looked uneasy as they approached the duo, possibly due to Gaara. Kokoro glared at their hesitance.

"What," she all but growled out at them. They stopped and looked at each other before they talked.

"Dad wants us to come eat dinner," Temari said. "You and your father are invited," she told Kokoro. Kokoro nodded her head and glanced at Gaara. She wanted to nudge him out of his unpleasant daze, but knew she wouldn't get past his sand.

"C'mon, Gaara," she said as she started walking away. The glaze over his eyes vanished and he rushed to get to her side. She gave him an eye smile when he did and he beamed back at her. He grabbed her hand in his, causing surprise to color her features. She gave him another eye smile. She liked Gaara a lot and hoped that even when she left, they would be good friends. When they reached the Kazekage's mansion, Kokoro released her hand from Gaara's and ran straight to her father, who was standing next to a strange man. He had choppy, chin length blonde hair and gray eyes. She watched as Gaara ran up to the man and greeted him.

"Uncle Yashimaru!" he said with delight. Gaara clung to the man and let him pick him up and hold him close. Kokoro smiled at the affection Gaara was getting. She was snapped out of her staring when her dad talked to her.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Later," she said with a certain look in her eyes. Her dad understood immediately, but pretended nothing was wrong. Just then, her stomach growled, causing her to look impish. Her dad laughed at her misfortune and said, "Shall we go eat?"

"I'm starving, daddy," she complained with a pout as he set her on her feet. She went to clasp her dad's hand in hers when someone grabbed hers and dragged her into the house.

"You can sit next to me, Kokoro!" Gaara said happily.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, how was it playing with the Kazekage’s children?” Kakashi asked his daughter after they were settled in their room. He was sitting with his back against the headboard and his arms crossed behind his head. Kokoro sat next to him with her arms wound around his body and her head leaning against his side. It was normal for them to be snuggled up to each other.

“I only played with Gaara,” Kokoro informed him.

“Oh?” he said in a way that asked her to explain.

“Temari and Kankuro ran off before Gaara and I could catch up.”

“You didn’t try to find them?”

Kokoro frowned and said plainly, “No. They’re mean.”

Kakashi laughed at her disdain towards two of the three sand children.

“Okay,” he said after his laughter died down, “How was it playing with Gaara?”

Kokoro’s face lit up as she told him all about the fun they had. She told him how the swung together on the swings and had a competition as to who could go the highest - Kokoro won due to Gaara’s hesitancy towards swinging parallel to the top of the swingset - and how Kokoro outran Gaara so much in tag that she volunteered to be ‘it’ for the remainder of the game. Kakashi watched as Kokoro prattled on, giving correct facial expression and little comments here and there. When he noticed her trail off and look down at her fiddling hands, he stared at her and waited for her to gather herself.

“Daddy,” she said in a little voice. He pulled her into his arms and held her against his broad chest.

“What’s wrong, Koko?” he asked.

“You know how Naruto has the nine tails inside of him,” she started. Kakashi tensed for a split second before he calmed himself. He didn’t want to alert Kokoro to his discomfort with the subject. It seemed to work as she continued with whatever she was curious about.

“I think Gaara has it in him, too.”

Kakashi instantly knew what she was talking about. Konoha didn’t know what the other nations did with their tailed beasts, and it wasn’t any of their business, either. Apparently, Suna sealed the one-tailed beast, the Ichibi, in the Kazekage’s son, much like Konoha did with Naruto Uzumaki. He feared something would upset Gaara and cause him to lash out, and in turn, hurt Kokoro, and was tempted to tell her to stay away from him. He knew it was futile, though. He tried the same thing with Naruto, but Kokoro insisted on staying his friend. Really, he wasn’t scared of the boys themselves, just the monster within them.

“Gaara doesn’t have the nine tails in him. Only one person can have it in them at a time,” he explained. “But that doesn’t mean Gaara doesn’t have something within him.”

“There are more of them?” Kokoro asked.

“There are nine in total.”

“Which one does Gaara have?”

“The one-tails. It isn’t as powerful as the nine tails, but it’s strong all the same.”

“I think the villagers treat him like the villagers back home treat Naruto.”

“Jinchuuriki are feared all over the world, so it’s very probable,” Kakashi concluded.

“It’s not fair,” Kokoro said with a pout and tears. “Gaara is fun to play with! Naruto too! They didn’t ask to be jinchuuriki!”

“Calm down, Koko,” Kakashi said, rubbing her back and placing her head in the crook of his neck. “I’m sure they’re very happy having you as a friend.”

Kokoro pulled back from her dad, looked him in the eye with her own glossy orbs, and said, “You won’t forbid me from seeing him?”

“I tried with Naruto and look where that got me.”

Kokoro giggled and laid on her dad’s chest. She listened to his heartbeat and lulled to sleep. When Kakashi deemed her asleep, he carefully laid her next to him and shut off the light, engulfing the room in darkness. He sighed and gazed at his daughter. He wondered if she would react the same way at every single injustice in the world. It was good for her character, but things weren’t always black and white.

The next morning, Kokoro was woken up by a knock on the door. She opened her eyes to see her dad doing push-ups in the corner of the room. He had most of his uniform on - his jacket was still hanging on the back of the desk chair - and his shoes on. She pushed up from the bed, alerting her dad that she was up. He stopped his activities and ushered her into the bathroom to get ready for the day. While she was in the bathroom, she heard the door open and voices conversing quietly. She walked out of the bathroom and was greeted by her dad’s smiling eye.

“We’ve been invited to breakfast,” he said. Kokoro cheered and grabbed Kakashi’s hand to pull him out of the room. She made it all the way to the end of the hallway when she realized she forgot where the dining room was. She hesitated at the corner and turned to her dad with pleading eyes. He chuckled and led them through the building and to a set of open doors. Kokoro spotted Gaara immediately and rushed to the empty chair next to him.

“Kokoro,” a voice stopped her. She gulped and turned to face the Kazekage. “Why don’t you sit next to Kankuro today.”

He gestured to an empty seat in the middle of Kankuro and Temari. She frowned. She didn’t want to sit next to them. They were mean to her friend and let other people bully him even though he was their younger brother. She looked at her dad for help, but all she got was a pointed stare. Her shoulders slumped and she slowly walked towards the seat. She perked up when she realized it was across from Gaara’s seat. She smiled at him and he returned it with fervor. Her dad sat next to Gaara, close to the Kazekage and Kokoro made it a point to stare him down. It was her way of telling him to be nice to her new friend.

“How was your sleep? I hope your temporary living quarters were up to par,” the Kazekage made small talk.

“Yes, the room was sufficient,” Kakashi said.

“Good. And you, Kokoro?”

“The bed was comfy,” was all she said as she dug into her food. She was hungry and didn’t feel like waiting until they were done with formalities. Beside her, Kankuro laughed under his breath. He caught her eye and smirked. She looked away. It was quiet in the dining room as the six of them ate. Kokoro made it a point to stuff her face to avoid talking with Kankuro. She could tell he wanted to say something by the wandering glances he gave her. When mostly everyone was done eating, the Kazekage cleared his throat.

“Kakashi, we best be going,” he said as he stood up from his spot. Kakashi nodded his head mirrored his actions. The Kazekage paused in the doorway and looked back at Kokoro.

“Why don’t you spend the day with Kankuro. I’m sure he’d enjoy your presence,” he said. By the gleam in his eyes, Kokoro knew it wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. She lowered her head and twiddled her thumbs. She wanted to spend the day with Gaara again. And she didn’t want to leave him by himself. He looked so sad when he was standing by himself while Kokoro tried to get away from the bully. Kankuro pushed back in his chair and stood up. He grabbed Kokoro’s hand and pulled her out of her chair.

“C’mon,” he said excitedly. He pulled her throughout the village and showed her his favorite places to go. The whole time, she couldn’t help but wonder what Gaara was doing. She wondered what his favorite places in the village were and when they stopped for lunch, she wondered if Gaara had a favorite food. Their last stop was the playground from the day before. It was riddled with kids and tucked into the corner of the area was Gaara. He sat on the ground with his teddy bear in his arms and his head low. Kokoro untangled her hand from Kankuro’s and ran over to Gaara. Before she could make it to him, Kankuro grabbed a hold of her.

“You’re supposed to spend the whole day with me,” Kankuro whined.

“I don’t have to do anything,” Kokoro shot back as she tried to pry her hand away.

“My dad says you’re gonna be my wife in the future, so you have to do everything I say!” Kankuro shouted in frustration.

“Ew!” Kokoro exclaimed. “Why would I ever marry a dunderhead like you!”

“You take that back!”

“No!” Kokoro shouted as she turned her head away and crossed her arms. “My daddy said I do whatever I put my mind to and I;m not putting marrying you to my mind.”

“I’m telling my dad,” Kankuro huffed out. His face was red and his fists were clenched. He turned in a flurry and stomped away, leaving Kokoro with a victorious grin on her face. Finally free, she ran to Gaara and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her with sad eyes until he recognized who she was.

“What are you doing here?” he asked elatedly.

“I came to play with you, silly,” she said. She ruffled the fiery locks on his head and laughed when he blushed. “C’mon, then,” she said as she dragged him to his feet.

* * *

“I heard you disobeyed the Kazekage’s orders,” Kakashi said casually. He was reading his favorite book while Kokoro was reading a book on taijutsu.

“I’m not a Suna shinobi so I don’t have to obey his order,” she said as she turned a page in her book. Kakashi sighed and snapped his book shut. He pocketed it and joined her on the floor.

“You know I’m here on a very important mission,” he said.

“I know,” she said without taking her eyes off of the book. Kakashi sighed and snagged the book out of her hands. He ignored her protests and waited patiently for her to stop complaining. When it died down, he said, “I need to be on the Kazekage’s good side. And while I don’t agree with the thought of arranging a marriage between you and his son, I need you to cooperate.”

“But Gaara needs a friend!” she protested. “Kankuro has loads of friends! He doesn’t need me like Gaara does!”

“Enough, Kokoro.” Kokoro quickly quieted. She heard the warning in his voice and knew that if she didn’t stop, she would be punished for her actions.

“Now,” Kakashi continued, “I know how lonely Gaara is and how attached you’ve grown to him, but I promised the Hokage that I wouldn’t get distracted during my mission.”

“I’m not trying to distract you, daddy,” Kokoro said.

“I know you’re not he said as he gathered her in his arms. “I want you to be happy, always, but I need you to do this one favor for me. Will you do it for me, Koko?”

She hesitated before answering. She would do anything for her dad, but she really didn’t want to leave Gaara’s side. She didn’t want him to think that she was purposely avoiding him like all of the other kids. But she knew how special the mission was for her father. She couldn’t let him down.

“Fine,” she said, “But only for a couple of days.”

“We’ll only be here for five days. Can’t you do it until we leave?” he pleaded her. He never would have thought that he would ever beg someone to do something for him, or that he would be a sucker for big gray eyes, but life always threw surprises.

“Only two days. Then I get to play with Gaara until we leave,” she negotiated.

“You’re not going to give in, are you?” her dad asked.

“Nope.”

“Okay. Just three days,” Kakashi conceded. He watched as Kokoro cheered loudly before she settled down and continued to read her book. He sighed in resignation and wondered if he was becoming a pushover. He grew pleased, though, as Kokoro stuck to their agreement. She played with Kankuro for the next few days. He often found her staring at Gaara, as if she wanted to shirk her responsibilities and engage him in a childish game, but she’d shake her head and continue playing with Kankuro. Kakashi knew his daughter wasn’t happy with the arrangements, he could see the fake smiles she gave the brown-haired boy, but there wasn’t anything she could do. If she wanted to be a shinobi, she had to learn that there were duties you stick to, even if they clash with what you want to do.

When the sun rose on the fourth day, Kokoro giddily jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. She wanted to tell Gaara the good news! She could finally play with him again! She hoped he didn’t hold it against her. It wasn’t like she meant to ignore him, she had to. She heard her dad chuckle at her eagerness and she stuck out her tongue in response. She followed her dad all the way to the breakfast room. She was quick to snag a seat next to Gaara, much to his amazement. She winked at him and gave him a wide smile before she greeted the others in the room. When her dad was seated, the Kazekage spoke.

“You’ve switched seats,” he said with a frown on his face.

“Yup!” Kokoro said with excitement. “My dad said I only had to sit there for three days and then I could sit wherever I wanted to!”

“....you want to sit next to...me?” Gaara asked quietly and unsure.

“Of course I do! You’re my friend, Gaara,” Kokoro answered honestly.

“But...” Gaara trailed off, trying to insinuate what had happened over the course of the three days. Kokoro waved it off.

“I’ll tell you all about it when we go play.”

After the very quiet breakfast,Kokoro beckoned Gaara to follow her to the playground. She sat on the ground and watched as Gaara warily sat in front of her. He stared at her and waited for her to talk first. His eyes were begging her to explain. He wasn’t angry, just sad that she had treated him like everyone else in the village.

“I’m sorry, Gaara,” Kokoro said quietly. Gaara gasped silently, shocked that someone would apologize to him. He listened as she continued.

“My dad said I had to play with Kankuro to make his job easier.”

“His job?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. He just said that listening to the Kazekage would help him, so I did. I’m sorry.”

“So, you only ignored me because you were ordered to?” Gaara asked with hope shining through his voice.

“Exactly! I would never ignore you, Gaara. Not in a million years!”

Looking over him, Kokoro was satisfied with his smile. He accepted her explanation and seemed to want to stay friends with her. She was worried he wouldn’t, that he would label her as another one of the ‘mean people’. It would hurt her if he ever did that. She noticed the blanket in his hands, covering his form, though she couldn’t understand why he had it. It was another hot day in Suna and Kokoro could only think the blanket brought unnecessary heat. She faltered when she realized his bear was gone.

“Where’s your bear?”

Gaara looked up from his drawings in the sand with wide eyes. He didn’t think anyone would notice. He grimaced as he remembered what had happened: how he had tripped over a rock. His fall had been broken by his sand, but his teddy bear flew out of his arms and on the ground a few feet away from him. He had watched with sorrow as one of the mean kids picked it up and ripped it apart.

Kokoro was livid. She was so mad that someone would tear Gaara’s teddy bear apart. It wasn’t nice. She stood and brushed the sand off of her clothes. She reached a hand out for Gaara to take, and when his hand latched onto hers, she pulled him to his feet and dragged him to the Kazekage's tower. Once inside, she made her way through the hallways until they were standing in front of the Kazekage’s office. The men guarding the door gave her a questioning glance.

“I want to see my dad,” she said. The guard on the right nodded and knocked on the door. When they heard a faint “Enter”, the guard on the left opened the door and ushered them in.

“Kokoro,” Kakashi started, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said, remembering the few lessons on diplomacy her dad gave her, “but I was wondering if I could have some money.”

“What for?” Kakashi asked, already digging in his pouch.

“I want to buy something. Like a souvenir.”

“Alright,” he said as he handed her a good amount. “Now run along.”

She did as she was told. All the while, Gaara wondered what his friend was up to. She hauled him across the village to the center. She kept her eyes peeled for the object, ignoring Gaara’s incessant questioning. She made an abrupt turn when she spotted the object, causing Gaara to stumble on his feet. She made a motion for Gaara to stay outside while she ran in the store. She wanted it to be a surprise. After she paid for it she held it behind her back and exited the building.

“What is that?” Gaara asked. He noticed her arm was unnaturally stationed behind her back.

“Ta-da!” she said as she thrusted the object forward. Gaara stared in astonishment.

“You- you got me a new bear?” he asked. His eyes watered as he reached out for the light brown teddy bear then dropped his arms, almost as if he wasn’t sure if it was for him.

“I thought you needed a new one.”

“I-I can’t take it. You bought it,” Gaara protested.

“Think of it as a present. Besides, I didn’t use my money to buy it.”

“A present?”

“Y’know, a gift. You buy someone something you think they’ll like and then give it to them as a surprise,” Kokoro explained. Gaara mulled over her words. He’d gotten a present from Yashimaru before but no one else ever gave him one. His face lit up and he grabbed the bear, hugging it tightly to his form.

“Thank you,” he said shyly.

“It’s what friends are for.”

Happily, the two of them walked down the street. Gaara held his new teddy bear in his right hand while his other one was swinging madly in between him and Kokoro. He ignored the whispers that usually made him sad and focused on his new friend. He shuddered when ‘it’ talked to him. He stopped swinging their hands and focused on his feet.

Kokoro noticed the mood change within Gaara, but waited until they were situated back at the playground to say anything. When they were seated opposite each other once again. Kokoro opened her mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he shook off.

“I thought you liked my present,” Kokoro said, trying to coax out the reason why he was so sad so suddenly.

“I do!” Gaara shouted out as fast as he could. He blushed when he realized he had raised his voice. “It’s just...”

Kokoro waited for him to keep talking.

“‘It’ talked to me,” he finally said.

“‘It’?”

“The voice inside my head. ‘It’ said I shouldn’t be so happy. That I should hate everyone around me. ‘It’s’ always saying bad things to me”

Kokoro thought long and hard about who the ‘It’ could be. She remembered her conversation with her dad and realized Gaara must be talking about the one-tailed beast. But Naruto never said anything about his tailed beast talking to him. It could be because they weren’t the best of friends, though. She liked Naruto, but she didn’t get to see him much. He was always running around the village pulling pranks and getting into trouble.

“The Ichibi?” she asked hesitantly. Gaara stilled and looked at her cautiously.

“You know?” he asked.

“Yes...”

“And you don’t care?”

“No. There’s someone like you in my village, too. I play with him sometimes, too.”

Gaara was quiet for a second before he spoke, “He says I shouldn’t talk to you. He says that he doesn’t want you near me.”

“Can you ask him why?”

“......he said you’re just like everyone else. He says I shouldn’t trust you.”

“Does he have a name?”

“W-what?” Gaara asked incredulously.

“I just figured....I mean....” Kokoro puffed out a breath and looked away from Gaara. “Every living thing has a name. I figured he’d have one too.”

“.......Shukaku. His name is Shukaku.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a Tanuki.”

“Can he hear me right now?” she asked in a hushed voice. Gaara nodded in affirmation. Although she was very nervous, she squared her shoulders and looked directly in Gaara’s eyes.

“Shukaku, I know you don’t know me and I know I just met Gaara, but he’s my friend.”

“He says you’re lying. He says you left me all alone.”

“I had to, but I never forgot about Gaara.”

“He says you could’ve at least greeted me or talked to me.”

“I’m sorry. I should have, but I’m only four. I make mistakes!”

“He says making mistakes isn’t an option.”

“Please, Shukaku!” Kokoro begged. “I promise to be Gaara’s friend forever and ever!”

Kokoro looked into Gaara’s eyes with helplessness. She wanted the Ichibi to be her friend, too, if it was inside of Gaara. She had to at least be on friendly grounds with him. He was a part of Gaara, and as Gaara’s friend, she had to like every single part of him. Even Shukaku. She watched as Gaara’s head tilted to the side in a cute manner that made her giggle.

“He says......okay,” Gaara informed her with a small smile. She cheered outwardly and threw her arms around his form. She was surprised when the sand didn’t react and allowed her to squeeze his frame with her frail arms. She pulled back and stared into his eyes again.

“There’s one more thing, Shukaku. Can you.....be nice to Gaara when I’m gone? I don’t know when I can come visit again and I don’t want Gaara to be alone,” she requested.

“He said he’ll think about it.”

“That’s better than nothing.”

* * *

“Do you have to go?” Gaara asked Kokoro. They were standing in front of the gates leading out of the village. Kokoro was standing by her dad, her hand encased in his, and Gaara was standing opposite them by himself. Kakashi and Kokoro had already said their goodbyes to the Kazekage and the rest of the sand siblings, but Gaara wanted to see them off.

“I gotta get home. I have friends waiting for me to get back,” she told him. He frowned and lowered his chin.

“Hey,” Kokoro said as she shook her dad’s hand off of hers and walked up to Gaara. She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him with all of her strength. She felt his arms reciprocate her actions. She pulled back and said, “I won’t forget you or ever stop being your friend. I promised, remember?”

He nodded silently in response. She rolled her eyes and pecked his cheek with her lips. He froze up and stared up at her with surprised eyes. His cheeks reddened and a hand moved on its own accord to cup his own cheek.

“That’s the seal to my promise, okay? And every time I see you, I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek to remind you of my promise,” she said.

“We gotta go, Kokoro,” Kakashi said.

“I’m coming!” she yelled back at him. She hugged Gaara one more time before she ran to her dad’s side and turned around to start their trek back to Konoha. Kokoro paused and turned around to face Gaara one last time.

“I’ll write to you!” she yelled, “So, make sure you write back!”

“I will!” Gaara yelled.


	4. Chapter 4

"Daddy, can you send this out?" Kokoro asked Kakashi. He spotted the letter in her hand and sighed before he grabbed it and placed it in a pocket on the inside of his jacket.

"I'll get someone to send this out if you can correctly show me your katas," he bargained. Kokoro pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Gaara is waiting on my response," she said. "I don't have time to show you my katas. You have to go now."

"I'm sure Gaara can wait another hour or two," Kakashi deadpanned. Kokoro threw her hands up in frustration but ultimately complied with his request. She knew she had to practice her form and her skills if she was going to be as great of a shinobi as her dad, but she didn't want to right then. She wanted to go inside and wait on Gaara's next letter. With a bit of reluctance, she got in the first stance and went through the motions. Her body had gotten used to the combination of movements about a week ago, but sometimes when she was distracted, it skipped a step, messing up the almost fluid sequence. She was distracted. So, instead of punching forward, she thrusted her fist downward and continued to life her knee. Kakashi immediately stopped her and enlightened her of her mistake before making her start over. She cursed, which was followed by a smack to the head. She glared at her dad and rubbed the spot on her head.

"No cussing," he said sternly. She muttered under her breath and started her routine over again. She focused on her movements as frustration hung over her head in a cloud, causing her movements to become jerkier. Ultimately, though, she made it through the whole thing without messing up. She was ordered to do it again and again and again until it seemed her katas were perfect. Kakashi was satisfied, so he told her to do it one more time before they could take a break and send the letter out. Kokoro perked up at that and enthusiastically started her katas over. Unfortunately, with the mention of her letter to Gaara, her mind clouded and she messed up. She winced when she noticed her mistake and nervously giggled when she caught the dull expression on her dad's face.

* * *

Gaara,

I miss you, too! I asked my dad when I can come visit you and he said he doesn't know. He always says that when he's too lazy to figure out the answer for me. Everyone says he's such a smart person, but if he doesn't know all the answers to all my questions, how smart is he really? He's been training me in taijutsu and he says I'm really good at it, so I guess he has to be pretty smart.

I saw a teddy bear at the store yesterday! I was gonna buy it just in case you need an extra one, but my dad said I wasn't allowed because I spent all of my allowance on dango. Oh, I never asked you what you named your new bear! Name it something cool! My birthday was a couple of days ago, so now I'm five! I didn't get a birthday party cause my dad was on a mission and I didn't want to celebrate my birthday without him, but we had cake and he gave me a present when he got back. He got me a purple bow for my hair and a new kunai set. He said my hair was getting too long to have it out all the time.

I can't believe they're so mean to you! When I come to visit, I'm gonna hit all of them for you with my new moves. Dad says I shouldn't use them on other kids cause it'll hurt them, but they deserve it! Tell them that if they don't stop, I'll beat them up. Tell Kankuro and Temari I'll hit them too if they don't help you.

Ew! Salted tongue sounds gross! But I'll try it just for you when I come visit. Just don't tell me what it is when I eat it. You should try yokan! I only get to eat it during festivals, but it's so good! If you like salty stuff then you should go to Ichiraku's when you visit one day! I went there a couple times with Naruto and it's really good! Naruto's like you. Everyone's mean to him too. But I'll protect both of you! Naruto's hard to be friends with cause he's always running around, but I won't give up. Not on either of you!

I gotta go now! Say hi to Shukaku for me!

Kokoro

* * *

"Why isn't he responding?" Kokoro asked no one in particular as she stared out the window. It had been weeks since her last letter was sent out and she had yet to hear from him. She worried something had happened to him. She chewed on her bottom lip and her eyes teared up at the idea of something happening to Gaara. She heard her dad come in the living room with a cup of tea in each hand. She ignored the cups in his hands and ran towards him. Seeing the imminent danger, Kakashi put the cups down as fast as he could and '_oomphed'_ when she collided with him. He felt the tears soaking his shirt and the shaking of her body before he heard her. He enveloped her in a hug and rubbed her back.

"Did I do something wrong, dad?" she asked in between sobs. He petted her head and shushed her.

"I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong, Koko. Maybe the letter is just late getting her," her weakly reasoned. He felt her shake her head against his middle.

"They're never late. The letter," she said miserably. "Either he doesn't want to talk to me or something happened to him. Daddy," she said as she pulled back from him and stared at him with wide eyes, "What if Gaara's hurt?"

"Just give it a couple of days," he said. He wasn't sure what to say to comfort her. He supposed that Gaara wasn't dead; they would have heard rumors of the one-tailed jinchuuriki dying. He vaguely wondered if someone was interfering with their communication. He wouldn't put it past the Kazekage to isolate the boy. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Kakashi detangled himself from his daughter and made his way to the door. A shinobi with a letter in his hand offered the said time to Kakashi and vanished from sight. Kakashi sighed in relief.

"I told you one would come," he said with an eye smile. Kokoro brightened and practically snatched the letter from his hands. Kakashi grumbled but otherwise said nothing as she ripped the envelope open. He watched as her sunny mood darkened. She threw the letter to the ground before she stomped off to her room and slammed the door shut. Once more, Kakashi sighed. He picked the letter up and scanned over the contents. His hand clenched around the piece of paper and his visible eye narrowed.

* * *

Dear Kokoro Hatake,

By order of the Kazekage, you are no longer allowed to receive letters from Gaara and he is no longer allowed to receive letters from you. It is in the best interest of Gaara that he no longer has contact with you.

Yashamaru

* * *

He was ready to throw the letter in the garbage when he felt another piece of paper taped to the back of the letter. Curious, Kakashi turned the letter over and found a small square piece of paper with writing on it.

* * *

Kokoro,

I cannot go against my Kazekage's orders, so it is with a heavy heart that I cannot give Gaara anymore letters you send. However, if you send anymore, I promise to hold onto them until Gaara is allowed to resume contact with you. Please do not give up on Gaara as I will not allow him to give up on you.

Yashamaru

* * *

Kakashi was a bit relieved that Yashamaru would continue to help his daughter out with her friendship with Gaara. Still, he knew Kokoro would be very unhappy with the outcome of her friendship. He knocked on her door twice before he opened it and entered her room. She was laying on her bed with the covers hiding her body. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed and shook her lightly. She didn't respond. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. A loud squeak omitted from her mouth and she hit her dad on the head in retaliation. He plopped onto the couch in the living room and sat her upon his lap. He uncovered her face, showing a tear-stained and reddish face. She refused to make eye contact with him.

"You missed one," he said as he held up the small letter. Her hands were trapped by her blanket, so she could only read the letter as he held it up in her line of vision. Her eyes slowly transformed from sad, angry, confused, and then joy. Kokoro scrambled to free herself from her self-made prison and run to the kitchen. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and sat in front of the small coffee table in the middle of the room.

"I'm guessing you're not going to give up," Kakashi said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yashamaru said he would give Gaara all of my letters when we could be friends again," she recited the contents of the note. "That means I gotta keep writing him so that he doesn't think I forgot about him!"

"Alright, I guess I can't stop you," he said with a fake pout.

Kokoro giggled and said, "Daddy, you weren't gonna stop me and you know it!"

"You're right," he said. He watched as she concentrated on writing her letter. When she was done, he produced an envelope from his flak jacket and handed it to her. She thanked him and tucked the letter in it. Giddily, she held the letter out for Kakashi to take and send out. He took it and promptly set it back on the coffee table.

"We have to send it out now," Kokoro complained.

"You know the procedure by now," Kakashi said with a shake of his head.

"But I don't wanna train right now," she whined.

"Do you want your letter sent out?" he asked.

"Yes."

She stood up from her spot on the floor and followed her dad to the training grounds. He had warned her that their next training session would be the start of her ninjutsu training, so it was no surprise they were going there. Their yard wasn't big enough or durable enough to handle any ninjutsu techniques. As soon as they arrived at the training grounds, he made her run twenty laps and do some stretching techniques. She knew it would help her in the long run, but she really didn't like training. It was strenuous on her body and she really wasn't in the mindset yet to train. The idea of training was more appealing than actually doing it. But she persevered through it. She wanted to be a great shinobi like her dad and she wanted to make him proud.

When she finished, Kakashi allowed her to catch her breath before he walked up to her and held out a small piece of paper. It was different than regular paper as it had a brownish hue and was less durable.

"Is that chakra paper?" she asked him excitedly. "Do I finally get to know which nature affinity I have?"

"Well, you've been asking me for a while," he said as he held it out to her. She grasped it and watched in awe as three things happened: It split in half, wrinkled, and then dampened. She stared at the paper in amazement. She looked at her dad with a sparkle in her eyes and held it out for him to see. Kakashi looked at the paper in surprise, not expecting her to have three nature affinities.

"That means I have lightening just like you!" she exclaimed. "Can you teach me the Chidori?!"

"Maybe some other time, Koko."

"Aw! Why not right now?"

"You have two other affinities that I'd like to work on first," he told her.

"You mean wind and water?" she asked. "Why can't we do those last?"

"There's some things I need to explain to you when we get home," Kakashi said cautiously. "But for now, we'll work on your wind and water natures. The first half of training will be dedicated to wind and the second half will be dedicated to water."

Kokoro mulled over his words for a second before a grin spread over her face.

"Wind beats lightning, right dad?" Kokoro asked mischievously. He nodded his head and rolled his eye as he knew where her thoughts were heading.

"That means I can beat you in a battle!" she shouted triumphantly.

"You forget that I can use all nature transformations," he said slyly. Kokoro pouted but perked up when she realized she had an affinity for three nature types.

"Then I gotta work extra hard to beat you," she stated.

"So you're finally ready to train seriously?" Kakashi asked her dubiously. When she nodded her head in determination, he took that as his cue to start teaching her. While, wind and water weren't his natural affinities, he had a good enough grasp on them to be able to help her along her way. He handed her a leaf and told her to concentrate on ripping it apart. He went to sit against a tree and read his book and left her to her task.

Kokoro concentrated hard on ripping the leaf apart. She grumbled when it didn't come easy to her. She wanted to further her training as fast as possible, but if she couldn't even rip a measly leaf in half, how was she to do anything else? Half an hour went by before she threw the leaf on the ground and crossed her arms. Kakashi looked up from his book and sighed before he snapped it shut.

"It's not working," Kokoro said. Kakashi hummed in the back of his throat.

"Show me how you were doing it," he ordered. She snatched the leaf off the ground and proceeded to concentrate on completing her task. Kakashi lifted his hitai ate and observed her chakra as she did so. Her chakra was building in her hands, but that was it. Recalling a few tips Asuma Sarutobi gave him years back, he stopped her and corrected her.

"You're able to build up chakra in your hands, which is good because it means you have the concentration bit down. But that's all you're doing."

"So, what should I do? I thought that doing that would work and the leaf would pull apart from the force of my chakra," she said sadly.

"Don't get too disappointed, Koko. Here, I'll give you a tip: Build up the chakra separately in each hand. Then imagine the chakra hitting each other and grinding against each other in a single line," he advised.

"Okay," she said before she concentrated again. She felt her chakra flow through her body and split to go to either hand. She imagined the chakra in her hands flowing out and ramming up against each other. When they made contact with each other, she envisioned them rubbing harshly against each other. She pictured an invisible line running from the tip of the leaf to the stem. When she felt the leaf in her hands rip, she lost her concentration and looked at it in anticipation. She frowned when she realized there was only a small rip at the top of the leaf.

"You did good," Kakashi praised her. "A lot of people have trouble with their chakra natures because it's something they've never done before. That's why shinobi train so hard."

"I know, dad, but I'm your daughter!" she raised her voice. "I'm supposed to be good at this."

"You're doing fine, Koko," Kakashi comforted her. "You're only five years old. You have time. Now, why don't you tell me how it felt when you ripped the leaf."

"It felt weird," she confessed.

"How so?"

"Well, when my chakra was rubbing against each other, it felt like one was overpowering the other."

"Hmm...try putting equal amounts of chakra in each hand so that one hand doesn't hold more chakra than the other. Then, try grinding them against each other. Remember to apply equal amounts of force, as well."

Kakashi watched as Kokoro concentrated. A few minutes later, she broke out of her concentration and proudly held out two equal halves of the leaf.

"I did it!" she yelled.

"You did," Kakashi said. "Now do it again."

"Aw," she sulked. "Can't we move on to something else?"

"No. You need a better grasp on this concept before we move onto anything more difficult. You'll keep at it until you can cut the leaf instantaneously."

"You're no fair, dad."

* * *

Gaara,

Yashamaru said he can't give you my letters anymore, but he said he'll keep all the letters I send and give them to you when we can talk to each other again! So, I'm gonna keep sending letters to let you know that you're still my friend. I was sad at first, but I know we'll still be the best of friends when we see each other again! I guess this means I won't be able to try salted tongue yet. I'm kinda relieved cause the idea of eating tongue is gross, but I'll try anything for you! When we see each other again, I'm gonna give you the biggest hug ever! Talk to you soon!

Kokoro


	5. Chapter 5

Kokoro held her dad’s hand as they walked through the village market. A bag of groceries was in her dad’s hands and a bored look graced his face. She chatted mindlessly about the things she learned in a book she finished last night. She knew he wasn’t paying attention to a word she was saying, but she liked the fact that he tried to hide it by giving hums here and there. After living with her dad for so long, she began to pick up on some of his habits. She even learned some of them for certain situations. For example, her dad was good at schooling his features and hiding his emotions. At first, Kokoro wasn’t good at it because she generally acted before thinking everything through, but through a lot of practice, she’s gotten better at it. Now at 6 years of age, she was able to school her features when she wasn’t feeling overly emotional. However, if she gets too angry or too sad or too anything, her mask breaks.

She also picked up on his laziness, though she suspected she has always had that. The only thing she refuses to allow herself to inherit from him is his tardiness. She hates when people are late because she hates to wait. She’s impatient. So far, he hasn’t been late for anything involving her. Well, he was late to pick her up from Kurenai Yuhi’s house once, but that’s because he slept too long after his mission. Kokoro wasn’t too hard on him for it. She understood he needed rest after being out for so long. Still, she was a bit miffed because she hadn’t seen him for over a week and desperately wanted to hug him.

She felt his hand tighten around hers one moment and in the next a blur of green rushed in front of them. Kokoro instantly smiled and let go of her dad’s hand. She ran up to the large man and hugged him as best as she could. He picked her up and threw her in the air before catching her and repeating the action. She laughed in amusement and continuously asked him to repeat his actions.

Kakashi sighed and gazed at the two with a mask of boredom.

“Gai, put my daughter down before she throws up,” he said plainly. Gai loudly laughed and settled Kokoro on his shoulders.

“She is blooming with the power of youth, my eternal rival!” Gai said as he gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.

“That’s cause he’s the best dad in the world!” Kokoro shouted. Kakashi wanted to hit his face with his hand so bad. Gai and his daughter were a bad mixture only because Gai’s presence seemed to energize Kokoro. He hoped she lost all of that energy when they get home later or else he was sure to suffocate from giddiness. He let his despair leave him as Kokoro’s words registered in his head. He was filled with immense happiness and love, though none of it showed on his face.

“You are correct, young Kokoro!” Gai said.

“Should I even ask what you’re doing here?” Kakashi asked him.

“I have come to challenge you!”

Kokoro grabbed the dark strands of Gai’s bowl-cut hair and tugged hard. Gai let out an unceremonious shriek and bounced around. He tried to pry her hands away from his hair but was unsuccessful. Kokoro let go of his hair, only to bonk him on the head.

“There’s no way my dad will lose to you again!” Kokoro shouted.

“Kokoro,” Kakashi exhaled, “Please stop tormenting Gai.”

Then, he turned to Gai and said, “Same as usual?”

Gai placed Kokoro on the ground and nodded his head sharply. Kokoro watched them intently, waiting for them to announce the challenge. The few times she saw them challenge each other always involved racing to some destination. Last time, they raced from the Hokage Tower to the main gates, and the time before that, they had raced from the Academy to the Dango Shop.

Kokoro’s anticipation turned sour when she watched as her grown dad danced about with Gai before throwing out a closed fist. Gai shouted in defeat when he realized he had thrown out scissors. Kokoro was happy her dad won, but at what cost? He had made a fool in front of her and she was never going to let it go. She marched up to the two adults and unexpectedly punched their stomachs. The two fools hunched over in pain. Kakashi almost lost his grip on his groceries.

“You’re so embarrassing, dad,” Kokoro said with a scowl. “Why can’t you act your age?”

“Everyone brims with youth until they die!” Gai yelled after he recovered after her attack.

“Yeah, well I’m feeling _really youthful_ right now,” Kokoro said with a mischievous smirk. Kakashi sighed and grabbed Kokoro’s hand to drag her away from Gai.

“This is why I don’t let you babysit,” he told Gai before he transported away.

* * *

Gaara,

I finally mastered my water manipulation! It was hard after mastering my wind manipulation because directing water was completely different than directing my wind nature, but I finally did it! Dad says I can learn some new water jutsus soon. And then after that, he’s gonna show me how to manipulate lightning! Isn’t that cool? Dad says I should work on my taijutsu more than my ninjutsu because my taijutsu stinks, but I get bored with taijutsu practice. He threatened me and said he’d make me train with Gai (y’know the weird guy I told you about in the last letter), but I think he’s bluffing.

I miss you so much Gaara. Dad says to never give up, but sometimes I feel like we’ll never get to talk again! I just hope you’re having as much fun as I am. No matter how sad I feel about this, I’ll never give up on you, Gaara! Speaking of friends, I made a new one! His name is Choji! Some kids were bullying him about his weight and I stopped them because it’s not nice to make fun of people. He thanked me and then he introduced me to his friend, Shikamaru. I like hanging out with them cause it’s so peaceful. Shikamaru likes to watch clouds, so that’s what we do most of the time.

I hope you’re making friends too, Gaara! I’ll see you soon!

Kokoro

* * *

“Hey, Choji! Wanna grab some dango?” Kokoro asked as she approached him. He was sitting down on a bench by the park with a bag of chips in his hands.

“Sorry, Koko,” he said before he shoved a handful of chips in his mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed so he could say, “I’m waiting for Shikamaru to get here.”

“Ah, that’s okay!” she said cheerily. “Do you want me to wait with you? Dad’s on another mission and I’m kinda bored.”

“Sure,” he said. She sat down on the empty space next to him and watched people pass by. When she got bored with that, she studied her companion. Choji was an Akimichi, meaning he was a bit bigger than the other kids their age. She didn’t know why that was, but her dad always told her that people come in different shapes and sizes, so she shouldn’t judge anyone by looks alone. Choji had a red swirl on each cheek and short, light brown hair that slightly spiked around.

He caught her staring, and instead of telling her off, he offered her a chip. She happily took it and ate it, tasting the saltiness on her tongue. She briefly wondered if that was what Gaara tasted when he ate his favorite foods. Minutes trailed by before Shikamaru walked up to the pair of kids. His hands were shoved into his pockets and a bored expression graced his face.

“Shikamaru!” Choji yelled in greeting.

“Hey, Shikamaru,” Kokoro greeted with a wave of her hand. Shikamaru waved back and put his hand back in his pocket.

“You’re gonna have to fix that posture of yours before you get a crooked back,” Kokoro joked. He was slightly slouched over. It wasn’t bad posture, per se, but laziness.

“Ma, you’re dad’s got the same posture and he turned out fine,” Shikamaru said offhandedly.

“Yeah, but do you think he started out that way?” Kokoro asked him.

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru ticked. He walked off, more than likely to go to the familiar hill to cloud watch or sleep, but Kokoro really wanted something sweet. She grabbed his short sleeve and pulled him in the other direction. He let out a cry of surprise and his eyes widened dramatically.

“Kokoro wants dango,” Choji offered as he followed them. Shikamaru grumbled and loosened himself from her grip. He fell into step with Choji and sighed at his misfortune. Kokoro, who was steps ahead, yelled behind her for them to hurry up. She arrived at the shop way before Shikamaru and Choji showed up, so she ordered all of them two sticks each. Personally, she preferred green tea. She handed them their sticks when they caught up to her and motioned for them to follow her to a table. They sat down in silence to enjoy their desserts.

“Now can we go watch clouds?” Shikamaru asked.

“You just want an excuse to sleep,” Kokoro accused him as she narrowed her eyes. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and looked away from her accusing glare.

“Why don’t we catch up with Naruto?” Choji asked around a ball of mitarashi dango.

“Too troublesome,” Shikamaru said.

“You’ve seen Naruto today?” Kokoro asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Choji said. “He ran past me while I was waiting for Shikamaru.”

“I wonder what he was running from,” Kokoro said.

“Ma, probably got into trouble again,” Shikamaru said.

“Probably,” Kokoro said quietly. She stood up abruptly and started running away from her companions.

“I’ll see you two later!” she yelled behind her.

“Thanks for the dango!” Choji yelled delightedly.

Kokoro ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the one place she knew Naruto would be. Right in front of the Academy, the school for future shinobi and kunoichi, was a lone, wooden swing hanging from a huge tree. It was usually empty, but sometimes there was one boy who occupied it. Fortunately for Kokoro, he was on it that day. She approached him quietly and slowly. She didn’t want to startle him. Accidentally, she tripped over her foot and caught her fall with the palm of her hand. She felt eyes on her and sheepishly lifted her gaze to meet them. Her face heated up as Naruto blatantly stared at her. She righted herself and wiped down her clothes in nervousness.

“Hey, Naruto,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“Hey, um......,” he said as he screwed his face up in concentration. Kokoro sighed as she realized he had forgotten her name. It wasn’t entirely his fault. It wasn’t like the two of them spent a lot of time together, and, truth be told, Kokoro wasn’t sure if she had ever given him her name.

“Kokoro,” she offered.

“Huh?” he asked in confusion.

“My name. It’s Kokoro. Kokoro Hatake,” she said.

“My name’s Naruto Uzumaki dattebayo!” he declared loudly. Kokoro shook her head at the volume of his voice.

“I know,” she said simply before she stood behind him and grabbed the parallel ropes in her hands.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he craned his neck to look at her. He felt a small push on his back, causing him to face forward and clench his hands around the ropes in a tight grip. Another push to his back had him moving forward.

“I thought I’d help you swing!” Kokoro said, matching his earlier enthusiasm. She pushed him again, this time a bit harder to get him to swing faster.

“Why?” he asked quietly. Kokoro strained to hear him as his voice drifted and carried as he moved back and forth. She silently wished her dad had gifted her with better hearing than better smelling, but beggars can't be choosers.

“Why not?” she countered.

“I don’t know,” he said. “No one tells me anything.”

Kokoro was sad to hear that, but she knew the Third Hokage’s orders. Her dad wasn’t even supposed to tell her, but he did anyway. He told her that he thought she should know, but he told her to never tell anyone else. She had broken that rule once, but it was for a good cause! She wanted to tell Naruto, but she knew that she would get into too much trouble. And not only her but her dad, too. Telling Gaara was different because he was from a different village and she knew he wouldn’t tell anyone, especially because of how the villagers treated him.

“I think it’s because they’re all jealous,” Kokoro said.

“Jealous?” he echoed. “Why would anyone be jealous of me?”

“Well, you’re gonna be Hokage someday, aren’t you?” she asked cheekily. She saw his lowered head immediately perk up. One of his hands left a brown rope and punched the air. He shouted in agreement and right after fell face first in the dirt. Kokoro clapped her hands over her mouth and laughed at his misfortune. When her laughter turned to giggles, she offered a hand of help and pulled him to his feet. At his full height, Naruto was a couple of inches shorter than her, though his spiky blond hair made up for the distance.

“So you believe in me?” he asked after a few beats.

“Of course! Anyone can do anything as long as they practice hard and have enough motivation. That’s what my dad says.”

“Hmm...” he said in response. He made a checkmark with his thumb and pointer finger and held it against his face. His fingers smashed his face together, causing the three whisker marks on each of his cheeks to become temporarily disfigured.

“Then we gotta spar together, dattebayo!” he shouted.

“You want to spar together?” she asked dubiously.

“Yeah! I understand if you don’t wanna. I’m really good and you’ll lose,” he said confidently.

“Is that so?” Kokoro asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Challenge accepted.”

“Yatta!” Naruto shouted. His eyes widened and he looked at her quickly before he changed his tone.

“I mean, follow me.”

She followed him until they were far enough away from the swing that it wouldn’t get messed with while they sparred. Naruto planted himself directly in front of Kokoro and spread his feet until they were shoulder length apart. Well, just about shoulder-width apart. Kokoro noticed that his stance was a little wide for his small frame, but she didn’t comment on it. She wanted to win and show him she wasn’t someone to be underestimated.

“Only taijutsu,” Naruto said firmly. “It’s not like I can’t do anything cool, I just don’t want to hurt a girl too bad.”

She got into the familiar starting position and waited for Naruto to make the first move. Her dad always told her to be patient against her opponents. And while she was notorious for being the exact opposite, she was concentrated enough not to jump into the fight. He came at her with a raised fist, showing his intent. She dodged the poorly aimed punch and pushed him from behind. He fell to the ground and looked up at her with indignation. She just stared at him with a blank face. A blank face marred by a small smirk. Naruto launched himself at Kokoro, tackling her to the ground. She was surprised by his sudden movement and cursed herself for getting too cocky. Naruto let out a laugh as he straddled her and started raining punches down on her. She blocked all of them with her forearms. Thinking fast, she grabbed his fists and pushed him back. He fell off of her and fell on his back.

Instead of advancing on him, Kokoro leaped back took in the situation. Her dad taught her to evaluate rather than blatantly attack an opponent. He told her it was what helped him defeat so many enemies, so she took his advice to heart. When Naruto stood up, she assessed his form again. She noted that he leaned more on his right foot than on his left, meaning he favored his right side more. Naruto rushed at her again, but this time, she met him head-on. They exchanged punches until Kokoro finally figured out the pattern to his moves. Right forward, left forward, left forward, right hook, right uppercut, right forward. Between the two forward punches from his left hand, there was a pause long enough to make him an open duck. So, when he went through the sequence once again, she took her chance and landed a punch on his face. He fell to the ground and Kokoro took the opportunity to catch her breath.

“I think....we should....stop now,” she said in between breaths. She didn’t want to beat the poor kid up. Honestly, she hadn’t even used her best moves.

“Not...yet,” Naruto breathed out as he stood up once more.

“Naruto-”

“If I’m gonna be Hokage one day, dattebayo! I need to be stronger!” he yelled. He ran at her and she side-stepped him. Angered, he swung wildly and connected with her cheek. It stung, but it wasn’t enough to throw her down. When he came at her again, she blocked his punch with a high kick. With quick precision, she returned her leg to its resting position, crouched and spun, throwing her leg out to sweep him off of his feet.

“Look, Naruto,” she started, “I think you’re a good opponent.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” he said from his position on the grass. She plopped down next to him.

“No. While you’re fighting style isn’t concrete, your moves have a lot of force behind them. You’re strong, just not polished,” she explained.

He sighed and said, “I can’t believe I just got beat by a girl.”

“This girl is about to hit you again if you don’t be quiet,” she said irritatedly. Naruto held his hands out in front of him and wore a sheepish expression.

“So, uh,” he said as he sat up. He scratched the back of his head and continued by saying, “Do you think you could help me?”

Kokoro stared at him for a bit as she thought it over. It wouldn’t be all that bad. It might even help her improve. Having her dad as her only opponent was hindering her progress. She needed variety, in both styles and people.

“Sure, I’ll help. But I’m not a very patient person,” she conceded.

“I’ll be the best student ever! Believe it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have Naruto using 'dattebayo' and believe it because I personally like both, but there are instances where 'believe it' really doesn't fit and 'dattebayo' feels a little lackluster.


	6. Chapter 6

Kokoro watched as Naruto ran through a series of stretches. She had gotten to the training ground first, though she didn’t know how that was possible seeing as how he lived closer. She would have said something full of sass and impatience because he made her wait, but there was something wrong with him. There was nothing physically wrong, but he seemed to be in a sad mood. His shoulders were hunched over and he had a look in his eyes. Every time he caught her eye, he played it off by giving her a wide smile, but as soon as he felt she wasn’t looking, the smile would vanish. Having already finished her stretches and her newly perfected water jutsus, she continued to observe him.

Naruto was a pretty good student. He complained a lot, though, so the two of them usually butted heads a lot. Still, he was a good learner when he understood what was being taught to him. Kokoro had tried to teach him about chakra first since it was a helpful ally in taijutsu, but he didn’t understand her by-the-book explanation and she didn’t know how else to explain it. So, she just moved on to teaching him the correct form and some cool combinations. He understood the concept of fighting really well, so he picked up on it quickly. However, he was too rash and his behavior was dictated by his emotions, so he’d totally throw anything Kokoro taught him out the window during their sparring matches.

“Yosh!” he yelled as he righted himself. “I’m ready to learn some new killer moves!”

“I’m not teaching you anything new today,” she said as she stood up from her position on the ground. 

“Eh?! Why not?” Naruto asked.

“Because the ones I’ve already taught you aren’t being put to good use,” she said.

“What do y’mean?” he asked dumbfoundedly.

Kokoro sighed and said, “You don’t use them right during our spars. Why should I teach you stuff if you’re not gonna actually use it?”

“But Kokoro,” he complained. 

“But nothing, Naruto. My dad says that you shouldn’t learn anything new until you perfect the old stuff.”

“You talk to your dad about me?”

“Well, yeah,” she said sheepishly. “I tell him everything that I do! Besides, he always asks about how you’re progressing.”

“He does?” he asked shyly.

“Yeah! I asked him why, but he didn’t give me a straight answer,” she informed him. “I hate when he does that.”

“Well, if you’re not gonna teach me new taijutsu, how about ninjutsu?” Naruto asked excitedly. Kokoro shook her head and crossed her arms in an ‘x’.

“You can’t just abandon something cause you’re not good at it. Anyway, I don’t even know your chakra nature to teach ninjutsu.”

“Chakra nature,” he said. He tilted his head to the side, causing his hair to flop over his forehead, and he scrunched his face together.

“See! You don’t even know what it is!” she accused him. “And I suck at explaining stuff to you!”

“How am I supposed to be Hokage if I can’t do any super cool jutsus?!” he yelled back. He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes into slits. His lips pursed and his face heated up from frustration. Kokoro refused to back down from her decision. Her dad was adamant about not teaching him anything other than taijutsu. He wouldn’t tell her why, but she hoped it wasn’t because of who he was. Even if he had the Kyuubi inside of him, he was still Naruto. 

“How about this,” she said after a minute, “I’ll help you with your ninjutsu after you’re at least proficient in taijutsu. Deal?”

“Hmm......deal!”

“Alright, so how bout another deal.”

“Eh? Another one?” he asked.

“Yeah. We’re gonna fight. If I lose, I’ll treat you to some ramen, but if I win, you have to tell me why you’re so sad,’ she proposed.

“Deal!” he shouted. The two of them got into position. She checked his form, nodding in satisfaction when it met her standards. She met his eyes and nodded at him. He started running at her but stopped once he realized what he was doing. He jumped away from her and got back into the starting position. Kokoro smiled inwardly. She was glad he was taking it so seriously. She wondered if she should bribe him with ramen more often. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled back to reality as a fist was aimed at her face. She dodged at the last second and jumped away from him. 

“Better get your wallet ready!” Naruto taunted her. Her mouth set in a hard line and her body tensed. She thought about going easy on him earlier, but, well, she wasn’t good at receiving taunts.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

How have you been? I heard about what happened. Dad found out from the Hokage. He wasn’t supposed to tell me, but he knows how much I value our friendship. Are you okay? Is Shukaku okay? I don’t know how they reign in tailed beasts, but I don’t think it’s pleasant. I don’t know what upset you so much, but I hope it isn’t upsetting you anymore. I want to be there with you in Suna. I want to help, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that when I’m not allowed to leave the village on my own. Please be okay, Gaara. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt.

Kokoro

* * *

“So, you gonna tell me what’s wrong?” she asked. She was breathing hard from their fight, and so was he. She wasn’t expecting the fight to be strenuous, at least for her, but he proved to be a strong opponent. She guessed that when he was motivated, he took things seriously. 

“It’s nothing,” Naruto said with a smile. A fake smile. A mask. 

“You can tell me, Naruto,” Kokoro said warmly.

“I just ran out of ramen this morning.”

“Is that so?” she asked dubiously.

“You bet!”

She studied him like she always did when she was in his vicinity. He had a look upon his face, one that only showed up when certain things occurred. He might not know, but she could read him so well. Not only did he lay his emotions out on his sleeve, but he tended to rely on patterns. Whether it was his punctuality on pranking or his routes around the village, he always fell back on patterns. She wondered if it was because of the loneliness he felt or maybe it was because he had no stability in his life. Either way, she knew the signs of the current pattern he was showing: the hunch of his shoulders when he thought she wasn’t looking, the fake smile of reassurance to anyone that would actually talk to him, the discovery of a distraction from his problems, the deflection when someone actually wants to know.

“Someone said something again,” Kokoro deduced. Naruto froze up. He remained still as if she would overlook him if he didn’t move. 

“You can tell me, Naruto,” she said. She gathered his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes. Sometimes her dad did that when she wanted to avoid talking about something. She always felt reassured when he did, so she figured Naruto would feel the same way.

“H-how did you know?’ he asked.

“I’ve seen the way people treat you around the village,” she said. “They treat you like crap and refuse you service. They yell at you and call you names and throw things at you.”

“I- I don’t know why they hate me so much,” Naruto said with tears in his eyes. “Everyone looks down on me. They all think I’m better off dead. I feel so sad and lonely when they do. It feels like no one wants me.”

Kokoro’s face scrunched up in anger. She knew Naruto felt strongly about the disrespect and hatred the villagers directed at him on a daily basis, but she didn’t know how much he hurt as a result of it. She didn’t know how someone could yell at anyone when they were so obviously hurting. Beating down anyone or anything while they were injured, hurting, or depressed was one of the vilest things to do in the world. 

She felt him pull away from her and start to walk off. Quickly, she ran after him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug. She squeezed him tight to show him that she was there for him. Just like with Gaara, she would not give up on him, even if it killed her. Even if her reputation was damaged because of it. Quite frankly, she knew the odds were against her from the day she was born. The whispers that followed her and her father were a testament to that. 

His arms were limp at his side. They were restricted by her own arms, but she knew he was too stunned to hug her back. When was the last time he was hugged by someone? Has he ever received a hug from someone? Did anyone take time out of their day to help him with his skills? She was young, yes, but she was also smart and had already been exposed to the downsides of life. Naruto needed someone in his life to be there for him, and she would try her hardest to be that person. 

“Why? Why are you being so nice to me/” he questioned. Sorrow laced his voice and it took all of her self-restraint to not cry along with him.

“Because everyone deserves it. Besides, I already told you! I believe in you, Naruto!”

Naruto knocked her arms away, only to engulf her in his own hug. A wide smile graced her face as she hugged him back. His head nuzzled in the crook of her neck. She felt a trail of cold and wet trail down her neck, and she could only pat his back in comfort. She rubbed his back and allowed him to snuggle into her for a while before she pulled away. Naruto took the time to wipe his face on his shirt.

“So, we’re friends now, right?” she asked.

“Dattebayo!” he shouted in response. Kokoro gave him an eye smile and leaned in. She planted a small kiss on his cheek. She watched in fascination as his face mirrored the color of a tomato. 

“W-what was that for?”

“It’s a seal to my promise!”

“A seal?”

“Yeah! Like a handshake or a pinky-promise.”

“Well, then do I have to kiss you back?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Then, how will I seal my end of the deal?” he asked.

She shrugged but tilted her head so her cheek was in full view. Naruto gulped from nervousness and leaned in to plant a fast kiss on her face. He immediately detached his lips from her and the color in his face deepened. 

“Kokoro.”

She stilled and automatically relaxed.

“Daddy!” she shouted as she ran towards him and jumped in his arms. “What are you doing here?”

“You told me you were going to hang out with him today,” her dad said. He refused to use his name, which ticked her off. She didn’t want Naruto to get the wrong impression from her father.

“Yeah,” she said, dragging the word out and giving him a pointed look. “But why are you _ here _?”

“I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. She jumped out of his arms and ran over to Naruto. She wrapped him in another hug and said, “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“We can’t train tomorrow?” he asked in a whiny voice.

“Dad has a mission, which means I’ll have a babysitter. Dad doesn’t like it when I run around the village by myself when he’s away, so I won’t be able to meet up with you.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry,” Kokoro said with a smile. “Now you have time to train without me. And when we train together again, you can show me how much you’ve improved!”

“Believe it! I’ll train really hard!” he yelled in determination.

“Good. If you improve a lot, I’ll treat you to some ramen,” she bribed him.

“I’ll show you, dattebayo!”

“Bye, Naruto!” she said as her dad whisked her away. She stumbled after her dad as he practically dragged her home. She protested the entire way, hoping that he would understand her struggling. However, he paid her no mind. It was like he was in a world of his own. When they arrived home, he slammed the door shut, let go of her hand, and hurried off to the kitchen. He rummaged through the cabinets before he came upon his liquor stash. He poured himself a drink and downed in it in one swig. Kokoro stared at her dad warily.

“Daddy, is something wrong?” she asked him hesitantly. He slammed the cup on the counter and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I’m fine, Koko,” he said quietly.

“Are you sure? You looked a little spooked when you saw Naruto. He isn’t as dangerous as everyone makes him out to be, so you shouldn’t be scared of-”

“I said I’m fine, Kokoro!” he yelled viciously. She flinched and cowered away from him. Kakashi sighed and hung his head in shame. It wasn’t his intent to yell at her, but she was pushing when he wanted her to stop. He wasn’t ready to let anyone know of the monsters he held deep within himself, much less say it out loud. 

“I’m sorry I said anything,” Kokoro whispered before she rushed to her room. Kakashi groaned and banged his head against a cupboard. He had wanted to talk to her about his next mission not upset her. He decided to give her time to breathe before he talked to her. 

Kokoro decided to come out of hiding thirty minutes later. She was super upset at her dad, but she was hungry and didn’t feel like listening to her stomach growl every two minutes. She cracked open her door and searched her surroundings before she deemed it safe to come out. She planned to grab a quick snack, like a piece of fruit, and run back to safety. However, her dad had other plans.

“I made dinner,” he said as she rounded the corner to the kitchen. She cursed in her head as she saw pots on the stove and plates set on the table. She frowned as she realized she had been so distracted by avoiding her dad that she missed the delicious smell coming from the food and her dad’s scent.

“That’s okay,” she said as she turned around. “I’m not that hungry, actually.”

“Kokoro, sit.”

She complied without complaint, pulling her chair out from the table and sitting down with a straight back. She placed her hands on the table and stared down at them as she waited for her dad to dish out the food and sit. 

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he started right after his bottom touched the seat. “It wasn’t my intention when I picked you up.”

“Why did you get so mad?” she asked in a small voice.

“There are things I don’t like to talk about, Koko, just like there are things you don’t like to talk about. I have a lot of monsters in my closet and it wouldn’t be fair of me to shoulder the burden onto you,” he explained. 

“Okay,” she said in response. She was still bummed out that he raised his voice at her. She understood him; she didn’t like talking about stuff that upset her or made her uncomfortable. But she didn’t think he should yell at her for not understanding at the time.

“I wanted to talk to you about something else,” he told her after placing his spoon back in his bowl. “It’s about my next mission.”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Sunagakure,” he answered after some hesitation. Kokoro stilled.

“Why?” she asked shakily.

“Suna is looking for help with the....damage the village sustained. Sandaime wants to strengthen our ties with Suna.”

“Where will I be staying?”

“Well, Shikaku said you could stay with him, but there was a special request from the Kazekage.”

“What request?”

“He wants you to come with me.”

Kokoro perked up and looked at her dad with an urgency.

“I can see Gaara?” she asked with excitement. “I can really see him?”

“Yeah, Koko,” he said with fondness. “It seems you’ll be seeing your friend a lot sooner than I thought.”


	7. Chapter 7

Kokoro was nervous, to say the least. She wasn’t sure what Gaara was going to do when he saw her. Would he be happy and hug her? Would he be upset with her and yell at her? Would he act like she didn’t exist and ignore her? She suspected he might be sensitive to the things around him, seeing as how Shukaku was released recently. She fiddled with her hands and watched her feet as they - her and her dad - made their way to Suna. Feeling a hand on the top of her head, she looked up and spotted an eye smile practically radiating comfort.

“Don’t worry, Koko,” Kakashi said. “Even if things aren’t okay between the two of you now, things tend to fix themselves.”

When they reached the gates of Suna, they were greeted by two guards. One of the guards motioned with his hand for them to follow her to the Kazekage’s office. Upon entering the room, Kokoro’s eyes immediately flicked to the side and spotted a mop of red hair barely visible above the top of a chair. His back was to her, but she knew he was aware of her presence by the stiffening of his shoulders. The Kazekage was sitting in his chair with his head supported by his interlocked fingers. His eyes, which slid to meet hers, held an intensity that was slightly dimmed the last time she had visited. 

“Kakashi Hatake and Kokoro Hatake,” the Kazekage greeted. “I hope your journey here was of no inconvenience.”

“Of course not, Lord Kazekage,” Kakashi replied.

“Good. How are you, Kokoro Hatake?” he asked.

“I am well, Lord Kazekage,” she said with a polite smile on her face. It took almost all of her willpower to drag her eyes away from her friend and place niceties on her face. This was, after all, the man who prohibited her from passing letters to Gaara and vice versa. 

“Good,” he said before he turned his attention to his youngest son. “Gaara, why don’t you take Kokoro to see the garden out back.”

The young red-headed boy sat in his chair as still as a picture. The adults in the room tensed as they waited for him to make a decision. They let out a breath when he stood from his seat and mechanically walked to the door. He opened the door and looked back at Kokoro. She was frozen to her spot as the strong emotion in his eyes nailed her in place. Nothing but anger and hatred was aimed at her. It was so intense that tears welled in her eyes. A few managed to escape, causing her dad to ask about her well-being. 

She shook him off and wiped away the water trailing down her cheeks. She mustered up as much courage as she could and followed Gaara out of the room. She trailed behind him with sluggish steps. She didn’t know how to interact with the new him; the one who oozed a dangerous aura and wanted nothing to do with her. Her eyes were glued to the floor and refused to leave, leading her to bump right into his back. Her eyes enlarged and a small breath escaped her mouth as Gaara slowly turned to face her. Her eyes flit to meet his and she flinched.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said. His eyes were narrowed into slits and his teeth were clenched as he talked. 

“I’m sorry,” Kokoro said quietly. Gaara stared at her for a bit longer before he nodded and continued to walk. He led her out of the building and towards the center of the village. 

“I thought we were going to the garden,” Kokoro spoke up. She immediately regretted it when his sharp gaze landed on her.

“I’m hungry,” was all he said before he paid her no mind. Because there were so many more people around her, she decided to watch her surroundings, lest she bump into the wrong person again. She noticed the monotone colors of the village once again and marveled at the difference between Konoha and Suna. It was refreshing after having such a vivid overload. Even the colors the people wore around the village, though pigmented, were dull. It appealed to her eyes. She also spotted some damage. Some buildings were being reconstructed and others had patches of different shade of brown. 

Among the sand, she spotted the looks the villagers threw Gaara. They were different, somehow, from the last time she had seen him. The hatred was hidden a lot more now. It was coated with more fear and apprehension than ever. She surmised it was due to the incident. Before they openly hated him, but now they were too scared to oppose him. She scoffed at their idiocy. She didn’t know what angered Shukaku and Gaara so much to let loose on the village, but she knew it couldn’t be anything small. Even though Gaara wasn’t immune to the stares he received, he never let it get to him too much, especially when he vented to Yashimaru every time he had problems.

Gaara approached a stand and ordered some kind of food on a stick. It was something she wasn’t familiar with, but it looked good. She kind of wanted some food, too, especially since she hadn’t eaten good food or gotten any sufficient rest since the beginning of the trip, but she didn’t want to bother him. She watched as the vendor handed over the stick of food and shakily received the coins from Gaara’s hands. Satisfied, he turned away from the stall and walked towards the Kazekage’s residence. 

When they got there, instead of going inside, he led them around the house and to the backyard where a small garden of life bloomed. Colorful flowers and cacti contrasted against the dull scenery and brought wonder to her eyes. She never imagined something so pretty could survive in a climate so dry. Delicately, she pet the petals of a fuschia flower.

“Watch what you touch.”

Kokoro was startled out of her thoughts and whipped her head around to look at him. He was staring hard at her finger against the plant. When she realized what he was looking at, she moved her hand away from it and clasped it with her other one. She watched as he finished off his food and placed the stick on a bench before he walked up to a watering can and watered the soil. He moved with care she hadn’t seen from him since she returned, causing her to wonder if he liked gardening.

“Do you like gardening?” she asked him in a soft voice. He stilled his movements, causing too much water to flood the roots of the plants. Quickly, he tilted the can up so no more liquid escaped and placed it on the ground. He ignored her and opted to sit on the bench by himself. She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her. She was tired of his blatant attitude. It irked her and she wanted him to stop. She didn’t care how upset he was, she didn’t have to deal with it. She stomped up to him and levelled him with a glare of her own.

“I asked you a question,” she said in a stern voice that rivalled her father’s. Seafoam green eyes warned her about her approach, yet she refused to listen to his silence. The two squared off for a long time. She was the first to break the contest, cursing at his stubbornness.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” she asked.

“Mother and I don’t like people like you,” he said.

“Like me?” she echoed.

“You’re scared of us. You’re a coward just like everyone else,” he said in a biting tone.

“I’m not scared of-” Kokoro’s paused and her eyes widened. She thought back to the way she acted ever since she saw Gaara. She cowered from him and acted like he was a stranger. She didn’t treat him like she did before. He was right; she treated him like everyone else did. She hung her head in shame. She was such a hypocrite. Honestly, she wasn’t scared of him because of Shukaku, she was scared of him because of the way he treated her. He acted like she was a stranger, too. And, quite frankly, after all the excitement she had at seeing him again, she was put-off by it all. 

She didn’t want to lose Gaara’s trust, though. She didn’t want him to feel all alone again. So, with a lot of determination, she said, “I’m not scared of you. I’m just scared by the way you’re acting. I thought we were friends. I didn’t think you’d hate me.”

“Mother and I don’t talk to liars,” he said plainly.

“I’m not lying!” she protested. “I’m not scared of you or Shukaku!”

“It doesn’t matter. You lied. You promised you’d always be my friend. That you’d never forget about me,” he explained.

“I never broke that promise, though! I always think about you when I’m home and I always send you letters!” she shouted.

“I haven’t gotten a letter from you in two years!” he shouted uncharacteristically. Suddenly, he shut his eyes and grabbed his head. He groaned in pain and curled in on himself. Kokoro rushed to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was shrugged off and a second later she was pushed back by a wall of sand. She gasped in surprise but didn’t have any time to recover as a whip of sand slashed at her, cutting her leg in the process. She fell to the ground and clutched her leg tightly. Her face scrunched up and tears rolled down her face. 

She started sobbing. Sobbing because of the physical pain and sobbing because of the emotional pain. Her leg throbbed, but it didn’t come close to the pain of knowing your friends attacked you, intentional or not. She wailed and screamed out for her dad. A few guards showed up in response to her cries and they immediately surrounded her, cutting Gaara’s vision of her. One left to inform the Kazekage of the event and to collect her father.

A moment later, Kakashi arrived and enveloped her in his arms. He noticed the gash in her leg and picked her up to take her to the infirmary. The particles of sand lingering in her wound did not go unnoticed. He glanced at Gaara before he left the yard and noticed an underlying concern in his eyes. But it vanished and was replaced with a hardening shield. At that moment, Kakashi made a decision: he would not allow Kokoro to associate with him again.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I’m finally coming to visit you! I’m so excited and so nervous at the same time! I wonder if you look any different. Did you grow taller? I think I did but I can’t really tell when everyone around me is so much bigger than me. I think I might get there before this letter gets to you. Maybe I can try salted tongue or gizzard when I get there. And we can hang out at the park again!

Maybe you can show me some cool sand tricks! I’m sure you and Shukaku have gotten closer since I’ve been there. 

I’ll see you soon, Gaara!

Kokoro

* * *

Kokoro numbly sat on the bed given to her for the night. A large bandage covered her wound. Thankfully, it wasn’t deep enough to require stitches. It itched like crazy, causing her hand to unconsciously gravitate towards it and rub it lightly. She winced as she accidentally applied too much pressure. Her dad walked out of the bathroom and sat beside her on the bed. He threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side.

“What did I do wrong?” she asked in a small voice. She looked up at him with dejection. He sighed and rubbed her arm.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Koko,” he said. He stopped talking and gave her a moment to process what he said before he continued.

“Kokoro, I think it’s time for you to stop all contact with Gaara.”

She shot away from him as if he stung her and shot him an accusatory glare.

“I can’t give up on him! I promised I wouldn’t!” she yelled.

“Sometimes we make promises we can’t keep.”

“It’s not like that! I can keep this promise! I will keep this promise! He still needs me!”

“Enough, Kokoro,” Kakashi said. “I won’t allow you to continue your friendship with him if your safety is at risk.”

Kokoro quieted and bowed her head. She glanced at him from under her wet lashes and begged, “Please, dad.”

“My mind is made up. For the remainder of our stay, you are to avoid contact with him. When we get home, you are not to send him any more letters. Do you understand?”

For the rest of the trip, she followed her dad’s orders. However, every time she saw Gaara, she’d stare at him in longing and wonder if she was doing the right thing. She wasn’t supposed to abandon her friends, right? So why did she feel like she was. When she returned to Konoha, she flew herself into her room and locked herself in there until the next day. She stayed up all night, debating with herself on whether or not she should obey her father’s commands or do things her way. She chose the latter. Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, she sat down on the floor. Her pen touched the blank sheet, but it wouldn’t move. What could she possibly write him? Her mind was jumbled and she was confused. She dropped the pen to the ground and crawled into bed. She figured she could try to get some sleep and try again tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a few messages asking if I was going to stick to canon events and for the most part I will. However, there will be differences, especially pertaining to Gaara. I think it’s kinda boring when every story is just a retelling of the original. And for those who are wondering when we’ll finally get to some canon events, don’t worry. Either the next chapter or the one after that will be the start of episode 1 of Naruto.


	8. Chapter 8

Kokoro and was very excited. She was finally going to enter the Academy. Kakashi pulled her along to catch the opening ceremony the Hokage conducted every year, though with how late they were, they would be lucky enough to catch the last of it. Kokoro huffed at her dad and pouted loudly. She hated it when he was late for things and he knew that. But he just had to stop along the way and dilly dally. She huffed again and gave him the stink eye. He looked down at her and shrugged his shoulders.

When they arrived, the Hokage was finishing up his speech and was announcing the official start of the first day. The young girl gave her dad a hug and ran off to find her friends. She hoped she was in the same class as Shikamaru and Choji. She wanted to be in the same class as Naruto, too, but she didn't want to be at the same time. She knew how loud he could be and honestly, she didn't like being interrupted while she was learning. Learning was fun for her and nobody wanted interruptions when they were doing something fun.

When she entered the building, she stopped running and started walking instead. She quickly found her room and was happily surprised to see Shikamaru and Choji sitting next to each other in the second row of seating. There were three rows and three columns of seats, and each table held three seats. Seeing as to how there was one extra seat at their table, she plopped herself next to Shikamaru and greeted them.

"Hey, Shikamaru. Hey, Choji," she said. Shikamaru lifted a hand up in acknowledgment while Choji greeted her by giving her a chip from his bag.

"I'm so excited!" she told them.

"No kidding," Shikamaru said in a bored tone.

"Aren't you excited, too?" she asked.

"Meh, school is such a drag," he said.

"That's only because you're lazy," she pointed out.

"Yeah, Shikamaru," Choji said around a mouth full of chips, "You're way smart, so school should be easy for you."

"Whatever," he said. "I just hope Naruto isn't in this class."

"Don't be mean, Shika," she reprimanded him.

"Everyone's thinking it. He causes too much trouble."

Just then, the door slid open and a whisker-faced boy entered the classroom. Many of the students either groaned or started whispering to their neighbors. Kokoro sighed in resignation before waving at the boy. What was done was done, so there wasn't any use complaining about anything.

"Hey, Naruto," she said.

"Kokoro!" he yelled as he ran up to their table. He looked around for an extra seat, and when he didn't find one, he looked at them dumbfounded. "Where am I supposed to sit?"

"There are no more seats available here, moron," Shikamaru said as he stared at Naruto. Naruto's face fell a little at Shikamaru's comment and his head dropped. Kokoro slid her chair back and stood up. She picked up all of her belongings in one arm and threw her other arm around Naruto's shoulders. She ushered them up the steps and to the table in the back.

"You didn't have to do that, Kokoro," Naruto said.

"Ma, doesn't matter where I sit, just as long as I'm here," she said cheerily. The blonde perked up at that and grinned at her. It was just the two of them at their table and Kokoro figured it would remain that way until a kid ran into the class right before the teacher and sat down next to her. Their teacher sat his stack of papers on his desk and addressed the class.

"Hello, everyone," he started, "I am your teacher, Iruka. Please address me as Iruka-sensei. I will now start roll-call."

Kokoro observed her teacher. He was tanned with brown hair pulled into a floppy ponytail and brown eyes filled with care. His most defining feature was a thick scar that used his nose to bridge each cheek. It didn't make him look menacing, though, like most scars did. If anything, it added to his caring features. After he called roll, he started teaching about the basics: math, reading, and history. Kokoro was able to keep up with the lesson. In fact, she was rather bored with it. Still, she made the lesson fun in her own way. When he handed them a worksheet to assess their basic math skills, she timed herself to see how fast she could complete it. And when they started learning kanji, she tested herself to see how many characters she remembered.

When lunch rolled around, she grabbed her bento and ran outside with Naruto in tow. She saw that he didn't have his own, so she shared with him and made a mental note to pack more the next day. When she finished eating, there was enough time to play a quick game of ninja tag. After lunch, they learned more of the basics. Iruka-sensei explained that they would focus more on school essentials and would move to ninja essentials next year.

And they did. The next year, they were introduced to fighting techniques and knife throwing. Like the clan kids, Kokoro excelled in those activities. Naruto, however, struggled. Even with Kokoro's sessions, he struggled. She couldn't figure out why he was struggling so much, but she figured he might not be as coordinated as the other kids.

For some reason, the girls were never allowed to fight the boys. Kokoro was deemed the best female fighter in the class, and unsurprisingly, Sasuke Uchiha was deemed the best male fighter in the class. She always wondered what it was like to fight him. She thought she could beat him, but, then again, she always thought she could do something before the time came to actually do it. She didn't know much about him, but she did hear stories about the Uchiha, especially his older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Apparently, he'd risen through the ranks and was already in ANBU even though he was only thirteen years old. It was crazy to think that someone could do that, but it made Kokoro even more determined to do the best that she could.

Anyway, her curiosity regarding Sasuke was ever-growing. She really wanted to see what he was all about. So one day, when they were paired off to fight each other, she started an argument with her teacher.

"Kokoro Hatake and Sakura Haruno," Iruka called out. Sakura Haruno, a pink-haired girl with a wide forehead walked a ways away from the line of students and waited for her opponent to stand across from her.

"I don't want to fight her," Kokoro refused.

"I've paired you against one another based on your skills," Iruka said.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have paired me against someone so weak," Kokoro countered. Iruka grew annoyed and sighed.

"You haven't fought Sakura yet," he said. "Besides, you need to experience fighting different types of opponents."

"Then by that logic, I should be able to fight one of the boys," she said.

"Kokoro-"

"I want to fight Sasuke Uchiha," she declared. The girls in the class gasped and glared at her. Kokoro rolled her eyes in response. For some reason, all of the girls were obsessed with Sasuke. Well, except for her and Hinata Hyuuga, a black-haired girl with pale eyes who undoubtedly had a crush on Naruto.

"It just makes sense," she continued. "I've beaten every girl I've fought so far, so why can't I fight the boys now. They're all just holding me back!"

"This fight will count as a loss if you don't participate," Iruka warned with a stern look. Kokoro crossed her arms and looked away. She wouldn't do it even if her grade depended on it.

"If you lose this fight, your rank in the class will go down," Iruka warned. That made her look at him again. She was ranked as 2nd overall in the class. In 1st place was Sasuke, and in 3rd place was Sakura. The only thing keeping her from being in 3rd was her scores in all the physical aspects of school. Academically, she wasn't dumb, but she definitely wasn't perfect. She always somehow managed to miss a question or two on a test. However, Sakura never missed a question on a test. And since her academic scores were way above everyone else's, her physical scores didn't really matter affect much.

"Fine," she said before setting herself a few feet away from Sakura. The match was over within a minute. Kokoro had focused so much of her training on taijutsu that she was well advanced in that area. Sakura had stood no chance. The dual-colored girl looked at her teacher with an "I-told-you-so" face and took her place back in line.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I was really scared when you and Shukaku did what you did with the sand. I couldn't understand why you would hurt me when I was just trying to be your friend. I want you to know that I haven't stopped sending you letters. I really want Yashamaru to give you these so there aren't any more fights between us, but I don't think he will anytime soon.

I didn't know what to write, so it's been a while since any letters went to Suna. I thought and thought and thought until my head hurt. I came up with just one thing to say, though, out of all those days thinking.

I made a promise to never forget you and to always be your friend, and I won't break that promise. Dad once told me that if something hurts really really bad, then the person who did it must be special. What you did hurt me really really bad, and I know that the misunderstanding between us hurts you really really bad. You're my friend, Gaara, and you always will be.

I'll make you and Shukaku understand as soon as I can.

Kokoro

* * *

"Ice Release: Ice Prison!"

Ice shot up from the ground and encased Kokoro's entire body. The ice was thick enough to be unpenetrable and clear enough for her to see through it. She needed time to think before attacking or else she'd surely lose. Fighting her dad did not get any easy as she got older. He was always thinking on her feet, something she had to continue to improve. He'd cornered her and she saw no way out, so she encased herself in her jutsu to give her time to think up a plan.

Her dad was standing outside the ice crystal. He was observing it, tapping on it and deciding his options. She smirked at him because she knew there was no way he could get through. The only way in was from the bottom and he wouldn't have enough time to figure that out. She had a plan.

Just as she was ready to execute it, a gloved hand pulled from the bottom and sucked her into the ground. Dirt was all that was in her face before air met her face once again. Her dad held her by her ankle upside down with a shit-eating expression on his face.

"No fair," Kokoro grumbled. "I was just about to take you out."

"Better luck next time," Kakashi said with an eye smile. She detected hints of cockiness and narrowed her eyes at him. What kind of dad smiles at his daughter's losses, she questioned in her mind. He pulled her ankle higher and swung her forward so she could backflip into a standing position.

"How'd you know there was a weakness?" she asked while glaring up at him.

"Every jutsu has a weakness. Besides, who helped you perfect it?"

"Whatever," Kokoro said. Kakashi placed a hand on her head and ruffled her silver hair. She was 151 centimeters tall, just shy of five feet, and came up to about his shoulders, which made it easier to mess her hair up. She scowled at him and brushed his hands away.

"Don't touch my hair," she said, "You've already ruined it."

"How so?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"You gave me your old man hair color!" she shouted. "I wanted to have all black hair, but your dumb genes just had to mess everything up!"

Kakashi deadpanned and sighed. He ruffled her hair again and evaded a jab to his side as he walked off.

"My eyes even wanted to become completely gray! At least that stopped! I don't want to be a mini-you," she complained as she followed him.

"You look a lot like your mom," he said unexpectedly. The twelve-year-old Hatake perked up at the mention of her mom. He didn't mention her much, but she was always so curious about her.

"Really?" she asked with big eyes.

"Yeah," he said, "Your face is almost an exact replica of hers."

"Do you think she'd be proud of me?" she asked quietly. She knew that her mom gave her up. She was so sad when she found out. She was still sad when she thought about it, but she'd come to terms with it. At least she had her dad.

"Yeah, I do, Koko. Now, hurry up and get a drink. We're not done training today yet."

"There's more?" she asked tiredly. He chuckled darkly, putting Kokoro immediately on high alert. Nothing good ever came from dark chuckles.

"A guest will be joining us very soon," he said.

"Who-?"

"My eternal rival!"

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I graduate from the Academy tomorrow. And I'm top of the class! Well, top of the females at least. Sakura's still got me beat academically, though. Sasuke's got me beat, too, but I don't really care so much anymore. It's not that I don't want to be number one cause I do, but he's been through so much that he at least should get number one, right? I don't know if I wrote to you about it, but the whole Uchiha Clan was massacred about five years ago. When Sasuke came into school after it happened he looked so empty. He looked like how you did when I visited you last time, except he was less angry than you were.

Anyway, I'm graduating, which means you must be graduating, too, right? We're gonna be pretty busy soon. Hopefully, we get to see each other again. I have so many cool jutsus to show you when we meet up again! Dad says I've really improved over the years! He thinks I should have moved up already, but I don't think I'm that good.

I'm nervous about who I get as teammates. Are you nervous, too? I hope your teammates are nice to you, Gaara, just like I hope mine are nice to me. I'm pretty liked in class. A lot of the girls don't like me, though. They think I'm a show-off. But I don't have to worry about that because there's only one girl per team, usually. The only girl who I can consider a true friend is Hinata. She's really cool to hang out with because she isn't loud and doesn't judge people. I think you'd like her.

Stay safe, Gaara


	9. Chapter 9

One of the first things Kokoro saw when she entered the classroom was a grinning and humming Naruto. She was confused because she thought he hadn’t passed. She remembered seeing him sitting glumly on the tree swing near the school. She’d been so wrapped up in celebrating with her dad that she hadn’t noticed him until she was being pulled away. She had felt bad and had planned to comfort him some way later, but apparently she didn’t have to.

“What are you doing here, Naruto?” Shikamaru asked with a slight attitude. She rolled her eyes at his antics and bounded up the stairs to stand next to them.

“This isn’t for dropouts. You can’t be here unless you graduate,” Shikamaru finished.

“Unless he stole that hitai-ate, I doubt he failed,” Kokoro said. She pointed out the blue headband proudly sitting across the blond’s forehead. 

“Yeah, do you see this? Do you see this?” Naruto said while pointing at his headband. “Open your eyes, Shikamaru. As of today, I’m a ninja, too!”

Kokoro looked at him fondly. She was happy he found a way to graduate after all. Naruto was annoying, but he was a ball of life and energy, too. Every time she was around him she couldn’t help but smile and laugh. And get an occasional headache or two.

The door to the classroom slammed open, but everyone in the room ignored it. Sakura and Ino Yamanaka were at it again. Kokoro rolled her eyes at the argument that ensued. Arguing over who gets to sit next to Sasuke was immature, in her opinion. She didn’t understand why they fawned over a boy they thought was good-looking. Kokoro had thought some boys were cute, but she never went out of her way to prioritize them over everything else.

She sighed and walked over to her usual seat before putting her head down on her arms. She’d been up all night thinking about the conversation she’d had with her dad the other day. She thought about what he said and was worried about everything that would come with it.

_ Kakashi placed his hands on the kitchen counter and leaned forward. His face was a picture of worry, angst, and sorrow. He opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of alcohol. He downed it in one gulp and slammed it down on the counter. The sound of the front door opening met his ears.  _

_ “Tadaima!” Kokoro yelled as she slipped off her shoes and ran to where she smelled her dad to be. _

_ “Okaeri,” Kakashi said automatically. Kokoro took one glance at him and her entire face fell. She was so excited to show him her first perfect score on a test, but he wasn’t in the right mindset. _

_ “Are you okay, daddy?” Kokoro asked hesitantly. Whenever he got like this, it was usually because of something he didn’t want her to know. She wasn’t sure if she would get a truthful answer, but she asked anyway because she knew she felt better when someone asked her when she felt down. _

_ “It’s nothing, Koko. How was school?” he asked, shrugging her off.  _

_ “I got my first perfect on a test!” she exclaimed, trying to bring his spirits back up. _

_ “That’s great! I knew you could do it!” he said. He tried to be cheerful, but he couldn’t pull it off. _

_ “What’s wrong, dad?” she asked. She threw her school stuff on the table and walked up to him. She smelled the alcohol on his breath and scrunched her nose up. She hugged him and waited until he hugged her back to let go. _

_ “I’m a big girl, now,” she said, “so you can tell me anything. I can handle it.” _

_ “Is that so?” he said. He sighed and motioned for them to sit on the couch. When they were comfortable, he began to explain. _

_ “Tomorrow, I will be meeting my team,” he started. _

_ His daughter looked at him in surprise and said, “You’re getting another team?” _

_ “Yes. Lord Hokage thought I was the best fit for this particular group of genin.” _

_ “Are you going to fail them again? You always fail your teams,” she grumbled. _

_ “It all depends on them.” _

_ “So what’s wrong this time?” she asked. She knew having the team wasn’t the actual problem. _

_ “It’s Naruto. He’ll be on my team this time,” he confessed. _

_ “Why do you get upset every time Naruto is mentioned? Is it because of the Kyuubi?” _

_ “Partially. I’m wary because I’ve experienced the damage it can cause.” _

_ “But?” she prompted. _

_ “......Naruto is the son of my sensei,” he confessed. “My sensei died the night of the Kyuubi attack. Every time I see Naruto, I’m reminded of him.” _

_ Kokoro was silent as she processed his words. She didn’t know what it was like to feel that way, so how was she going to respond? She felt her dad shift and engulf her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and took a deep breath in, taking in his scent. _

_ “You’ve lost a lot of people,” she stated sadly. He hummed and held her tighter. _

_ “I haven’t lost you.” _

_ “Will you be okay tomorrow?” she asked in a small voice. _

_ “I’ll be fine. I’ll have an anchor with me,” he told her. _

What did he mean bu those words, she wondered. What anchor did he have? He never talked about having anything of the sort, though, to be fair, she never asked. Her thoughts were interrupted when her teacher walked through the door.

“As of today, you are all ninjas,” Iruka addressed the class. “To get here, you faced difficult trials and hardships. But that’s nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you’re only genin, first-level ninjas. All the genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be led by a jounin, an elite ninja.”

Kokoro knew this only because her dad was a jounin instructor. She tuned out all of the whispering around her and turned to her seat neighbor, Choji.

“Who do you think you’ll get paired with?” she asked him. He shrugged and chewed on his barbeque chips.

“Hopefully Shikamaru,” he said. 

“Aw, not me?” she pouted jokingly.

“You, too, Koko,” he said as to not leave her out. “You’re one of the cooler girls here.”

“Thanks, Choji,” she beamed at him.

“Listen, please,” Iruka said to settle the class. “We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities. I will now announce the squads.”

Kokoro listened attentively for her name. She hoped that her dad wasn’t her jounin instructor. She’d learned a lot from him, but she wanted to learn other things from other people. Besides, he always tested his teams too harshly. 

“Squad Seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchuha, and Kokoro Hatake.”

She glanced at her squad members and groaned. There was no way Sasuke and Naruto were going to work together. They hated each other’s guts! How was she supposed to survive with two bickering boys?

“Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke, dattebayo?!” Naruto screamed in frustration. 

“Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores,” Iruka said matter-of-factly. “To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student.”

“Just make sure you don’t get in my way, loser,” Sasuke said. 

“Hey, what did you say?!” Naruto yelled, standing up from his seat and waggling his fist at the Uchiha. 

“Hard of hearing?” Sasuke asked.

The class laughed, however, Kokoro shook her head. She could already feel a headache forming.

“Knock it off!” she yelled at them from across the room. The two boys looked at her quickly, surprised she yelled at them. Kokoro wasn’t known for raising her voice; just for stating her opinion. Sasuke tsked while Naruto rubbed the back of his head and apologized. He glanced at Sasuke and humphed before sitting in his seat and crossing his arms.

“Ahem,” Iruka coughed out. “After lunch, you’ll meet your jounin instructors. Until then, class dismissed.”

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I’m doomed! I’m on the same team as Naruto and Sasuke! How am I supposed to complete missions successfully with those two idiots? I kind of wish I was on a different team. I just want to be with level-headed people like myself. I can only imagine the headaches I’m gonna get from spending time with them. I hope you have better teammates. 

Now that I get to go on missions, I might run into you or come to Suna. I’ll explain everything then. I don’t know why Yashamaru hasn’t let you see the letters, but I think you should know about them. That I never really left you. 

Stay safe!

Kokoro

* * *

“He’s late,” Naruto grumbled. All the other squads had already met with their team leaders, so it was only Naruto, Sasuke, and Kokoro in the classroom waiting. Naruto opened the door and poked his head out. He glanced from side to side before coming back in.

“How come our teacher’s the only one late? I’m ready to roll. Believe it!” he complained.

Kokoro sat in a seat at the back of the class. She was silently fuming. She knew exactly who their team leader was and she was not happy he was late. And she knew he knew that she hated his lateness. 

Naruto placed an eraser in between the sliding door and its frame. He giggled to himself. Sasuke sat in the front row with his chin resting on his folded hands.

“This is what he gets for being late,” Naruto said. 

“Our teacher’s a jounin. You think he’d fall for that?” Sasuke said in a haughty voice.

“You’d be surprised,” Kokoro mumbled from her corner. Kokoro sniffed the air and smiled ruthlessly when she caught his scent. A hand appeared in the doorway and slip open the door. The eraser fell on top of a head full of silver hair similar to her own.

Naruto started laughing and said, “I got him! He totally fell for it!”

Kokoro stretched and walked down towards her team. Her dad picked up the eraser and looked at it before speaking to them.

“Hm. How can I put this,” he said trailing off. “My first impression of the group: You’re a bunch of idiots.”

“You’re one to talk, idiot!” Kokoro shouted. Sasuke and Naruto looked at her in shock and then back at their teacher to see what he would say.

Kakashi shrugged and said, “Meet me on the roof.”

He disappeared from their view. Kokoro gaped at the space he vacated before storming out of the room to meet him. Sasuke and Naruto trailed after her. When she got to the roof, she saw her dad leaning against the steel guard rails. She stuck her tongue out at him and sat on the concrete stairs. 

“All right. Why don’t you introduce yourselves one at a time?” Kakashi suggested.

“Well, what are we supposed to say?” Naruto asked as he scratched his head.

“Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, things like that,” Kakashi said. 

“Why don’t you tell us stuff first?” Naruto asked. “I mean, before we talk, tell us about you, so we can see how it’s supposed to go.”

“Me?” Kakashi asked while pointing towards himself. “I’m Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate-- I don’t feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future-- never really thought about it. As for my hobbies-- I have many.”

“All he really told us was his name,” Naruto whispered to his companions. Kokoro hung her head and loudly sighed to show how displeased she was with her dad. 

“Are you related?” Sasuke asked the jounin and his female teammate. 

“Unfortunately,” she breathed out.

“Okay, your turn,” the jounin said. “You on the right-- you first.”

Kokoro and Sasuke looked at Naruto and waited for his answers.

“My name’s Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen, but what I like even more is the ramen from Ichiraku’s that Iruka sensei treats me to! What I dislike is the three minutes after pouring hot water in the instant ramen. My hobby is eating and comparing ramen! And my future dream is to surpass the Hokage! I’m going to get the entire village to acknowledge my existence!”

“Next.”

“I’m Kokoro Hatake. I like sweet food and dogs. I dislike secrets and being late.”

She stressed the last word and pointedly glared at her dad.

“My hobby is reading informational books, and my future dream is to become a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade,” she finished. 

“And lastly?”

“My name’s Sasuke Uchiha. I have a lot of dislikes but no likes in particular. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I’m going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone.”

It was silent for a moment as everyone processed his words. Kakashi broke it by saying, “Good. You’re each unique, and you have your own ideas. We’ll have our first mission tomorrow.”

Naruto perked up and asked, “What kind of mission are we going to have?”

“It’s a task the four of us will do together. A survival exercise. It is unlike the training you did in the Academy.”

“So, uh, what kind of training is it then?” Naruto asked. Kokoro stiffened as she paid attention to her dad’s body language. She had a bad feeling about the exercise they had to complete. She’d never seen what it was, but she knew it was hard because of the fail rate. Her dad laughed, causing her and her teammates to become uneasy. 

“What’s so funny?” Kokoro asked suspiciously.

“Heh, well, out of the 27 graduates, only 12 will actually be accepted as genin. The others will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass-fail test, and the chance that you’ll fail is at least 50%.”

Seeing the shocked faces, he said, “See? Didn’t I tell you you wouldn’t like it?”

“That’s crazy!” Naruto yelled. “We worked hard to get here, dattebayo!”

“That’s how it is,” Kakashi said. “I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5 a.m., and bring your gear. That’s it. You’re dismissed.”

Kokoro abruptly stood up and started walking over to her dad before his words stopped her. 

“Oh, tomorrow you better skip breakfast, or else you’ll puke.”

With that, he left the three genin. Kokoro stood rooted in her spot. Her fists clenched and her face screwed up in anger and frustration. She wouldn’t let herself fail. She had to achieve her dreams and see Gaara again. She couldn’t do that if she failed.

“Hey,” Sasuke called out. She turned to face him and was met with a neutral expression.

“What’s your relation to him?” he asked.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked back. He tsked and said, “I just don’t want favoritism to cloud his judgment.”

“He’s my father. And don’t worry about favoritism. I have as much an idea of what this exercise is as you do,” she said in a clipped tone. She rushed home and slammed the door when she got through the doorway. She spotted her dad casually lounging next to Pakkun, one of his ninken. Pakkun was a brown pug with floppy dark ears.

“Tadaima,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Okaeri!” Kakashi said cheerily. 

“How’s it going, Koko?” Pakkun asked. She deflated and walked over to him to scratch behind his ears.

“You summoned Pakkun so I wouldn’t yell,” she accused.

“I simply wanted to enjoy the company of one of my partners,” Kakashi said with an eye smile.

“Sure,” she said before plopping down on the couch next to them.

“So, am I the anchor?” she asked him.

“Figured it out already?”

“It wasn’t hard,” she shrugged. “You looked at me the most.”

“Am I forgiven?” he asked.

“I still can’t believe you were so late,” she grumbled. “I don’t even know how Lord Hokage deals with you. But yes.”

“Great! What do you want for dinner?”

“Can I ask about the exercise tomorrow?” she asked.

“You can, but I won’t answer.”

“Of course not.”

“Just remember the motto,” he clued her in.

* * *

Teamwork. The exercise was about teamwork. She smiled as she finally completely understood the concept. She was optimistic that her team would do well. They passed, perhaps not with flying colors, but they still passed. She just hoped the small amount of camaraderie they established stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that Kokoro is not completely replacing Sakura. She needs to be on Team Seven for this story and I don’t like the idea of four-man cells. So, I changed some things so that Sakura can pass with her classmates. The only thing Kokoro is taking from Sakura is her spot on the team.


	10. Chapter 10

As fresh genin, Kokoro and her squad had to complete D-rank missions before they moved on to the harder and more complicated stuff. D-rank missions were basically chores: babysitting children, finding lost cats, running errands for busy, important people. As much as Kokoro liked helping others, she did not like doing these missions. She wanted to utilize her skill sets more; she wanted to fight the bad guys and show off her talent. 

She was thankful when Naruto complained to the Hokage about their terrible missions. She almost complained alongside him, but one look from her dad shut her down. She knew she had a bad habit of expressing her opinion when she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help it. With her dad around, she figured she could let Naruto be her voice for the time being.

And because Naruto is so loud with his opinions too, they were given a C-rank mission. It was a simple escort mission to the Land of Waves. The escorted was a man named Tazuna, who was a bridge-builder. He reeked of alcohol and had a nasty attitude to go along with it. Kokoro didn’t want to be in his presence for too long, so she hoped the mission ended quickly.

“Alright!” Naruto exclaimed as we walked through the large gates and out of the village.

“Why are you so excited?” Kokoro asked. Sasuke was walking beside her, Kakashi, and Tazuna, but Naruto was several steps in front of them. He was jumping about and yelling with a fervor.

“This is the first time I ever left the village, dattebayo!”

“Am I supposed to trust my life to this runt?” Tazuna asked rudely.

Kakashi laughed and said, “He’s with me and I’m a jounin, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Someday I’m going to be Hokage and you’ll look up to me!” Naruto proclaimed. “My name’s Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it!”

“Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I’ll sprout wings and fly,” Tazuna said.

“Ah! Shut up!” Naruto yelled. Kokoro covered her ears and glared at the orange-clad ninja. He felt her glare on him and immediately stopped yelling. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face away from the bridge-builder. Kakashi gripped the neck of Naruto’s jumpsuit and spun him to face the road. He set him back on the ground and gave him a little push in the right direction.

“I told you you’re supposed to protect the client, not attack him,” the jounin reprimanded. 

“Whatever! You’ll see! I’ll become the greatest ninja ever!” Naruto exclaimed before he started walking off. Kokoro clambered next to him and gave him a smile. Naruto’s mood improved as she communicated to him that she believed in him.

“Say, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said. “You’ve been outside the village before. What’s it like?”

“Depends on where you go,” Kakashi answered shortly.

“I’ve been outside the village before!” Kokoro exclaimed proudly. Sasuke and Naruto stared at her as soon as she said that. 

“Neh, neh, what was it like?!” Naruto asked excitedly.

“I visited Suna twice before! The journey there was boring, but the village was pretty. It wasn’t like Konoha with trees and colorful buildings and stuff, but it was really sandy and pretty in its own way,” she explained.

“You went to Suna?” Sasuke questioned dubiously.

Kokoro nodded her head and pointed at her dad.

“He let me go with him on two of his missions. It wasn’t dangerous or anything, so the Hokage let me tag along. I met a friend there, too!”

Kakashi glanced down at her when she mentioned Gaara and conveyed with his eyes for her to stop talking about it. He still wasn’t comfortable with her sending him letters, mainly because he had lashed out at her, but he knew she valued friendship even more than he did if it were possible. She wouldn’t turn on anyone.

“Tazuna-san, are there shinobi in the Land of Waves, too?” Kokoro asked to change the subject.

“No,” he said gruffly. Feeling dissatisfied with the answer, she looked to her dad to give her more details.

“Unlike shinobi nations, a small island like the Land of Waves, has natural protection from the sea, so there’s no need for a ninja village,” he explained. “Anyway, it is unlikely for us to run into any foreign ninja.”

Kokoro caught Sasuke staring at Tazuna, so she took a look, too. The bridge-builder seemed tense and nervous at the mention of foreign ninja. She narrowed her eyes and made eye contact with Sasuke. He nodded his head and she reciprocated. They were on the same page of suspicion. They walked on the barren, dirt road before they came across a puddle of water. Everyone overlooked it and continued walking. However, Kokoro did a double-take. Did it rain recently, she wondered. She looked up at her dad, but he didn’t seem to be too worried about it, so she let it go.

Suddenly, two shuriken-laced chains attached to two foreign shinobi shot into the air and wrapped themselves around Kakashi. Kokoro shot her hands out in desperation and took a step towards her dad. She saw the panicked look in his wide eyes and squeaked as the chains were pulled tight and sliced through his body. Her hands tightened and all she saw was red. She tried to rush forward but Sasuke held her back.

“Don’t!” he yelled. “You’ll only get yourself hurt!”

She knew he was right, but all she could think about was her dad being ripped to pieces. They took her only family away and they were going to pay for it. The two foreign shinobi ignored her and went straight for Naruto. The blonde genin was still shocked by the recent events and was frozen in his spot. Sasuke sighed harshly and ran to aid him. Kokoro watched it unfold. The duo then turned their attention to Tazuna. 

She was the closest one to him, yet she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to kill the shinobi, but she needed to focus on protecting Tazuna. She couldn’t let Sasuke do all the work. He’d get too exhausted and probably injure himself. Besides, she didn’t want to be a liability. Her dad taught her everything she knew. It would be a disservice to him if she stood and did nothing.

She jumped a meter in front of Tazuna, putting enough distance between them so that any fighting that occurred wouldn’t harm him in the process. She pulled out a kunai for each hand and got into a defensive position. She met the first one head-on. She was startled by his physical strength and staggered back a few steps. In her disoriented state, the second one rushed her. She blocked his attack at the last moment with her forearms. She was thankful she agreed to wear metal forearm guards. 

Kokoro struggled against his advances. An idea struck her and she allowed him to push hard against her guard. She ducked and used his forward momentum to flip him over her back. He landed on the ground with a loud thump and she took the chance to detain him. She straddled him and plunged a kunai in each of his hands to tether him to the ground. 

She froze in her actions and stared wide-eyed at what she had done. She covered her open mouth with her hand as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t know how to feel. She’d meant to stab his shirt sleeves, but in her rage, she’d aimed for his hands. She watched as blood oozed from the wound and cringed at the awkward way the kunai stuck out of his hands.

The silver-haired girl climbed off her opponent and took a handful of steps backward. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her dad staring at her with a knowing look in his eye. 

“You-” she said as her mouth opened and closed on its own. Kakashi patted her head in comfort and detained the one Kokoro pinned. He pulled out the kunai from his hands and tied him up next to the other one. Naruto’s and Sasuke’s eyes were like daggers piercing her soul. She moved off to the side and waited for her dad to finish interrogating them. 

Her actions replayed over in her head and she physically shook it to rid her of the images. She’d never harmed anyone to that extent before. Sure, she’d nicked her dad when they trained, but she’d never actually gone out of her way to harm another human being. Shame crept up her body and covered her like a blanket. She knew that hurting others came with being a kunoichi. But knowing and doing were entirely two different things.

She was confident in her skills, but she wasn’t confident that she would be able to do what needed to be done when the time was right. Her hands curled into fists and she hung her head. How was she going to complete missions if she felt this way every time?

“When you put in your request, you didn’t say there were ninja hunting you,” Kakashi said to Tazuna. “If we knew this, it would be a B-rank mission or higher. You lied to us and that is unacceptable.”

“Naruto’s hand could become a problem,” he continued. “I guess we should go back to the village.”

“No!” Kokoro yelled in protest. “We can’t turn back now!”

“This mission is too dangerous for genin. While you and Sasuke did good against these two, you and Naruto froze up. You two could have been killed. You aren’t ready yet.” Kakashi admonished.

“It was just shock!” she protested. “This is our first ever real mission! Of course we’re gonna make mistakes!”

She couldn’t lose this chance. If she backed down now she’d never know if she was cut-out for this job. If she couldn’t complete this mission, what was to say she could complete even trickier and more complicated missions in the future? No. She would argue until he let them keep going.

“Let’s- uh,” she racked her brain for something to say, “Let’s put it to a vote! Majority rules!”

Kakashi stared hard at her before he nodded his head. 

“Alright,” he said. “We’ll put it to a vote. If everyone is in agreement, we will continue the mission.”

Kokoro turned to her teammates and gauged their reactions. Sasuke held a neutral expression, but his eyes basically screamed determination. She smiled and turned to Naruto. Her smile dropped. He held a kunai in his hand and was digging into his wound. Frustration was evident on his face as he muttered to himself. She looked down at the wound and gulped, thinking back to the one she had inflicted on someone else. 

She pursed her lips and walked up to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Naruto, it’s okay. If we have to go back to treat your wound, then that’s fine with me. Health is the utmost priority.”

“I worked hard to get here. I will never back down. I will never run away. And I won’t lose to anyone, including Sasuke,” Naruto said in a determined voice laced with pain. Kokoro admired his tenacity and wished she could bounce back the way he did. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re really cool, Naruto,” she said. She eyed the wound in his hand and cringed. She reprimanded herself and shook off the crawling feeling she got when she looked at it. She grabbed some supplies from her med-pack and started cleaning his wound. She went to wrap it up but the hole in his hand was gone. She was puzzled. She looked at her dad and opened her mouth, only to close it when he shook his head. So he knew, she thought.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

Naruto got scratched up pretty badly from a cat named Tora. It was funny because the cat really didn’t like him. To be fair, the cat was pretty fussy and even tied swiping at me a few times. It was a simple search and retrieve mission in the village. We haven’t gotten anything other than D-ranks, so I’m getting antsy.

How are your genin days going so far? I’d like to think you’re a genin by now. You could probably be a chunin. You’re smart and you can control sand pretty well. If they worked on your skills, I’m sure you’re pretty advanced in attacking and defensive ability.

I can’t make this too long cause I have another mission to go on. I can’t give you the details, but it’s our first C-rank! I’m excited! I’m pretty busy now so the number of letters I send you has gone down, but know that it’s not because I’m forgetting about you. I’m always itching to write to you, I just don’t have a lot of time these days.

Anyway, I gotta go! 

Kokoro

* * *

They took a boat to cross by water. Kakashi used the time to question Tazuna further about the ninja hunting him down. Apparently, a man named Gato was after him. He didn’t want Tazuna to finish building the bridge for selfish reasons. Kokoro thought it was all the same. 

People did things for selfish reasons; they did things to make their lives better but not anyone else’s. That’s one of the reasons why she wanted to be a ninja. Some people needed protection more than others. A picture of Gaara entered her mind and she clenched her fists. Nobody protected him, but she would protect him the next time she saw him.

After riding for some time in misty waters, they entered a tunnel. When they exited it, a beautiful sight met their eyes. The water was clear and blue and so was the sky. There were buildings built along the water and there were seagulls chirping in the air. They docked and left the boat. They had to walk the rest of the way.

“Okay, take me home!” Tazuna said a bit cheerfully. “And by that, I mean get me there in one piece.”

The three genin sighed and muttered under their breath while their jounin leader looked on with exasperation. Kakashi led them down the dirt road. Trees lined the sides of the path. Out of nowhere, Naruto ran ahead of the group and shouted as he threw a kunai.

“Hm, it was just a mouse,” he said freely. Everyone stared at him in bewilderment except Kokoro, who looked like she was ready to murder him. She glared at his back and marched up to him. She hit him in the back of the head and yelled, “What do you think you’re doing?! This isn’t the time to play games!”

“Ah, Kokoro, sorry,” he said as he rubbed the spot where she’d hit him.

“Naruto, those are kunai. They’re dangerous,” Kakashi said with his hands held out in front of him.

“Stop trying to scare me, you scruffy little dwarf!” Tazuna yelled. The anger left Kokoro’s body and a fit of giggles made its way out of her mouth. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her before he looked at the trees and asked, “Hey, is someone hiding over there?”

“Over there!” he yelled again and threw another kunai. 

“Seriously, stop,” Kokoro said.

“Someone is really following us, dattebayo,” he pouted. 

“Stop being such an idiot,” Sasuke commented. The ravenette smirked when he saw how riled up he got his teammate. It’s like it’s a game for them, Kokoro complained. Her attention was drawn towards her dad, who walked through the bushes. She followed him and saw a cute, white bunny trembling against a tree right below the spot the kunai dug itself in. 

“A rabbit?!” Naruto exclaimed. He rushed forward and picked the animal up.

“I’m sorry little rabbit,” he said as he held it close. 

“All this fuss over a rabbit,” Tazuna complained. Kokoro couldn’t help but agree with him. Did he really need to go ballistic about a rabbit that was going in the same direction as them? It was just a wild animal. 

“Look out!” 

A huge sword came spinning wildly at them. They ducked and watched the blade dig deep in a tree. Then, someone jumped onto the handle of the blade. He was wearing gray pants and wore no shirt. White protective leg sleeves dotted with brown and black spots were tucked into sandals and matched his protective arm sleeves. There were bandages wrapped around the bottom of his tanned face and his headband stated his village: Kirigakure, the Mist Village.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from KIrigakure,” Kakashi said in a free voice. Why is he acting so care-free, Kokoro wondered. Her hand gripped a kunai tightly and she was already in a defensive stance. If he was a rogue ninja, he must be dangerous. No weak ninja was stupid enough to defect from a major village.

Naruto ran forward, ready to attack, but Kakashi held an arm out to stop him. Kokoro sighed in relief. She didn’t know what was going on in his head, but he wasn’t thinking straight.

“You’re in the way. Get back,” Kakashi said gravely.

“But, why?” Naruto asked rudely.

“He’s not like those other ninjas,” the jounin stated. He lifted a hand and placed it on his hitai-ate. His daughter gasped and clenched her teeth. Her dad always said that the only time he used his other eye was when things were getting worse. To use it so early on in battle tributed to the strength of the rogue in front of them.

“Kakashi of the Sharingan. Did I get that right?” Zabuza asked. Sasuke tensed and glared at Kakashi. Kokoro didn’t know what was going through his head, but finding out about that now was detrimental. Who knew if it would create a rift between the two of them.

“It’s too bad, but you’ll have to hand over the old man now,” Zabuza continued. 

Quickly, Manji formation,” Kakashi instructed. “Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight.”

He lifted his headband onto his forehead, revealing the vertical scar running through his eye and his Sharingan, the doujutsu of the Uchiha clan. 

“Everyone keeps saying, ‘Sharingan, Sharingan’. Will someone tell me what it is?” Naruto asked confusedly.

“Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man, now,” Zabuza said. Without hesitance, the three genin formed the mani formation around Tazuna. Sasuke took the center while Kokoro and Naruto took the sides. Each held onto a kunai with both hands, holding the object downwards. Zabuza moved locations, pulling out his blade in the process. 

“He’s over there, standing on the water!” Naruto yelled. Suddenly, the area was covered in mist. Kokoro couldn’t see a thing. She panicked slightly but got her wits together.

“Don’t lower your guard,” Kakashi said. Then, he disappeared.

“Eight points,” a voice said from a distance. “Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my kill point?”

Kokoro couldn’t help but shiver. She was worried about her dad, but she knew he could take care of himself. A blue gust whipped away the mist and cleared the air. Beside her, Sasuke trembled just as she did from the powerful bloodlust emanating from both jounin. She wanted to place a hand on him to show him that he had backup but she didn’t want to break her stance. 

“Sasuke, calm down,” the silver-haired leader said. His back was to them, showing off his strong stance. “I’ll protect you with my life. All of you. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me.”

“Trust us,” Kokoro said confidently. She was still shaking and you could hear it in her voice, but she needed to let him know. “You’re not alone in this; we’ve got your back.”

Sasuke met her eyes and nodded affirmatively. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” a voice said from behind them. Kokoro’s eyes widened. Zabuza was behind them. “It’s over.”

He swung his blade as Tazuna and the genin jumped away. Kakashi met him head-on. A kunai stuck out of Zabuza’s stomach, but instead of blood, water was pouring out. Kokoro looked at it in confusion before realization dawned on her. A water clone. The clone dispersed.

“Die!”

Another Zabuza swung his blade at Kakashi and sliced him in half. Surprisingly, Kakashi, too, turned into water. I’ve never seen him do that, Kokoro thought. How did he do it?

“Don’t move,” Kakashi said. He stood behind Zabuza and held a kunai to his neck. “Now it’s over.”

Zabuza laughed and turned into water just as another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. Kakashi ducked as the huge blade was swung towards him. The blade slammed into the ground. Zabuza let the hilt go and kicked the silver-haired man away. He pulled his sword from the ground and ran towards Kakashi's flying body. He suddenly stopped and jumped into the water. Kakashi’s head popped out of the water just as Zabuza reached him. 

“Water Prison!” 

A ball of chakra-filed water encased the jounin. Kokoro was stunned and made a noise of protest at the back of her throat.

“So much for the great Kakashi. I’ll deal with you later. But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated,” Zabuza said. He created a water clone and used his mist jutsu again. The clone rushed forward and kicked Naruto in the gut. The blond’s headband flew off his head and Zabuza stepped on it. 

“You’re just brats. You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja?” Zabuza asked.

“Naruto!” Kokoro yelled out. She rushed to his side but was stopped by the water clone. She instantly regretted her actions when she was thrown to the side.

“Hmm, you look familiar,” Zabuza said. He walked towards Kokoro and grabbed the front of her shirt. He picked her up and watched her struggle to touch the ground again. He stared at her before he looked at Kakashi. Then, he grinned.

“Couldn’t separate your personal life from work?” he asked wickedly. “Seems you brought your little brat with you.”

“Listen!” Kakashi shouted hysterically. “Get the bridge builder and run! You can’t win this fight! He’s using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone. The clone can’t go far from his body, so he can’t follow you. Run, now!”

Kokoro clenched her hands into fists and glared at the clone in front of her. She wanted to glare at her dad, but she couldn’t get distracted. Real or not, the clone in front of her was still dangerous. Her dad was stupid to think she would run away without him. She wouldn’t abandon him. 

“You think we’re that naive!” she shouted. “You think we’d abandon you! Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum, remember? We aren’t going anywhere!”

She grabbed onto the clone’s forearms and used her upper body strength to hoist herself up and kick him. The clone released her but remained solid. It was stronger than she thought it was, but she still created space between them. 

“We’ve got to do this!” Sasuke yelled in agreement. Kokoro stared at her dad and met his eyes. She gave him a small smile of reassurance. She could tell he was worried and scared for not only her life but theirs as well. He was too scared to remember that they were a team. He wasn’t alone, even if he was the highest-ranking ninja among them. They trusted him. Now, it was his turn to trust them.


	11. Chapter 11

“We’ve got to do this!” Sasuke yelled in agreement. He rushed the clone and threw a handful of ninja stars. They were deflected by the blade, so Sasuke jumped above Zabuza with a kunai in his hand. He was easily grabbed by the neck mid-air and tossed aside.

“Sasuke!” Kokoro yelled.

“He got Sasuke,” Naruto said in fear. Kokoro looked at him and she bit her lip. Shakily, Naruto looked at the jounin from his position on the ground and shied away from him. He was shaking so bad and tried to get away. He stopped when he used his injured hand to get up and gasped. Then, a determined look entered his eyes. He rushed the clone, too, and was immediately thrown away.

“What are you thinking charging him by yourself!” Kokoro yelled. “You can’t rush into things, remember?” 

He was forgetting everything she had taught him when they had sparred together. It was a habit he had to break or else he was going to get seriously hurt one day. 

Naruto groaned in pain and slowly got up. In his hand was his hitai-ate. Kokoro gasped and realized what he had actually tried to do. She didn’t know if he was just stupid or stupidly determined. The headband must be very important to him if he was willing to sacrifice his life for it. He tied it back around his forehead and grinned in determination. 

“All right, Sasuke. Listen up. Can you hear me?” Naruto asked. 

“Yeah, I hear you,” Sasuke replied.

“I’ve got a plan,” Naruto declared.

“So you’re finally thinking about teamwork, huh?” Sasuke asked a bit haughty.

“Let’s go wild!” Naruto shouted. Kokoro didn’t know what this plan was or if he even factored her into it, but she was going to do her best to help.

“What are you doing? I told you to run!” Kakashi yelled. “Your mission isn’t to show how brave you are. It’s to save the bridge builder. Stay on mission!” 

“I guess this all happened because of me,” Tazuna spoke up. The three genin looked at him in surprise. “Do what you have to do.”

They nodded and placed all of their attention on Zabuza. Kokoro inched closer to Tazuna, gaining Zabuza’s attention for a split second before Naruto and Sasuke went into motion. Sasuke was intercepted by Zabuza, who hit Sasuke in the gut. The Uchiha fell to the ground and groaned in pain when Zabuza slammed his elbow down into his stomach. The jounin stomped his foot down on Sasuke and applied pressure.

“You’re nothing,” he said. 

“Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto yelled out. About twenty shadow clones appeared and surrounded Zabuza. The clones attacked Zabuza and gave Sasuke a chance to get away. However, the clones couldn’t hold the rogue-nin down and he threw them all off of him. Naruto dug into his backpack and pulled out a shuriken. He yelled Sasuke’s name and threw the weapon to him. Sasuke caught it and smirked.

Sasuke jumped and threw the shuriken at the real Zabuza. He caught it but didn’t register the second one heading his way. When he did, he jumped over it. Kokoro smirked. The second shuriken turned into Naruto, who threw a kunai at the rogue ninja. 

Among the chaos, Kokoro created a water clone and ordered it forward while she stayed back to protect the bridge builder. Zabuza caught the kunai Naruto threw at him with a nefarious grin. Seeing her chance, Kokoro’s clone snuck up behind and propelled the enemy forward with a kick to the back. He was forced to dispel his water jutsu, allowing Kakashi to escape. Angry, he punched the water clone and tried throwing the shuriken he caught at Naruto, but Kakashi stopped him with his forearm.

“Naruto, that was an excellent plan,” he praised the blond. Naruto laughed from his position in the water. Kakashi flicked the shuriken away and the two separated, creating distance between them. Zabuza started performing signs for his jutsu, but Kakashi mirrored his actions. 

Kokoro’s back prickled and straightened as she felt a presence behind her. She inched closer to Tazuna and discreetly turned her head. She didn’t see anyone, but she still kept up her guard. Zabuza was powerful, yes, but any rogue ninja who traveled alone was a dumb one.

Kakashi finally got the upper hand when he performed a water jutsu before Zabuza got the chance. Zabuza was swept up in the water and thrown against a tree. Four kunai were thrown at him and stuck him to the tree. There was no escaping. 

“Can you see the future?” Zabuza asked exhaustedly. His head hung low and a shadow covered his eyes.

“Yeah. This is your final battle,” the silver-haired jounin replied. Suddenly, two senbon attached themselves to Zabuza’s neck. The rogue ninja fell over. Kokoro glanced around frantically and saw a masked ninja with long brown hair standing on a tree branch behind her. She stiffened and quickly got into a defensive position. Judging by the four squiggles on their mask, they were a Mist-nin.

“You were right. It was his last battle,” a feminine voice rang out. Kakashi checked Zabuza's pulse and confirmed that he was dead. Then he stared at the mysterious figure overhead.

“Thank you,” the Mist-nin said. “I’ve been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down.”

“By your mask, I see that you’re a hunter ninja from the Mist Village,” Kakashi deduced.

“You’re well informed,” the Mist-nin said. 

“A hunter!” Naruto yelled and sprung into a defensive position.

“A hunter is a ninja that hunts down rogue ninjas and eliminates them so they don’t reveal any of the village’s secrets,” Kokoro told him. Her hold on her kunai did not loosen. Why didn’t the hunter-nin step in before? What were they waiting for?

“He’s not our enemy, Naruto,” Kakashi said. He walked up to the blond as the genin ranted about how easily the tracker took down Zabuza. Kakashi planted his hand on Naruto’s head in comfort and said, “In this world, there are kids younger than you yet stronger than me.”

The hunter disappeared in a whirlwind and appeared next to Zabuza.

“Your struggle is over. I will now deal with the dead remains. There are a lot of secrets in this body. They must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands,” the hunter said. “Please excuse me.”

When they disappeared, Kakashi pulled his headband back over his Sharingan and finally relaxed. Naruto threw a tantrum while Kokoro walked over to her dad and hit him. Kakashi rubbed his arm in pain and grimaced.

“I don’t care how inexperienced we are,'' Kokoro said. “If you tell us to leave you again, I will hurt you!”

“My apologies, Koko,” Kakashi said awkwardly. 

Kokoro thought about all that transpired. What were the chances that Zabuza just happened to stumble upon them? Very slim. Also, he told them he was after the bridge builder, so he must have been hired by someone. Her mind immediately went to Gato and she clenched her fists. The lengths people went to do horrible things angered her.

There was another thing, however, that bothered her: the hunter-nin. When she was younger, she had read a book about hunter-nin and the protocol the hunter just used versus the protocol in the book was completely different. She could chalk the differences up as different villages having different rules; but, still, the hunter should have at least made sure Zabuza was dead.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Kakashi said. He took two steps before he fell to the ground in exhaustion.

“Dad!” Kokoro yelled. She rushed to his side and shook him. He didn’t respond, so she checked his pulse. Thankfully, he was still alive. He must have passed out due to exhaustion, Kokoro thought. She scowled and looked at her teammates.

“We need to carry him. Can one of you help me out?” she asked. She started picking him up and sighed in relief when someone helped her. Sasuke nodded at her and took Kakashi’s lower half. 

“Naruto, you’re going to have to be our lookout for now,” Kokoro told him. “If something’s out of place, make sure you let us know. We won’t be able to help if our hands are full.”

“Roger!” Naruto yelled.

“Tazuna,” she addressed the bridge builder, “please walk in between us.”

He nodded his head and followed Naruto. Sasuke and Kokoro took up the back. Kokoro lost her grip on her dad and he slipped a bit before she regained it. She cursed and silently complained about having to carry him the rest of the way. Maybe she should have left him.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I hung out with Shikamaru and Choji the other day. Dad and Choji’s dad had to go on a mission, so Choji and I stayed at Shikamaru’s house for a couple of days. Shikamaru kept trying to get us to play Shogi, but I suck at it and refused to play after losing twice. Choji indulged him but stopped playing after a handful of rounds.

After that, we were allowed to go to the park. We played tag for a little bit but got bored really quickly. I swung on the swings while Shikamaru laid on top of the monkey bars and Choji sat at the top of the slide, afterward. Thankfully, no one else was at the park, so we didn’t have to move out of their way. 

I think the best part about going over Shikamaru’s house was seeing him interact with his mom. I’ve never gotten to do that and it was nice seeing it. He acted annoyed with her a lot, but I could tell he was happy with her nagging. I went to sleep thinking about how my mom would interact with me. Would she nag me a lot like Shika’s mom, or would she let me do whatever? Would we be as close as me and my dad are, or would we butt heads?

You understand. That feeling of missing something you never had, I mean. A lot of people in the village don’t have two parents. Well, a lot of the ninja in the village don’t have two parents. I guess it’s something a lot of people have in common. I only see villagers with complete families. Will it be like that when I’m older? I’m too young right now, but I think a lot about my children growing up without both parents. I don’t want that for them.

I’m going to get strong so that they never lose me, and I’ll marry someone who’s strong so they never lose their dad either. 

Kokoro

* * *

When Kakashi woke up, he was greeted by a woman with long dark hair. He was laying on a cot with his head on a pillow and a blanket thrown over him.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’ve been better,” he replied. “It’ll be a week before I can move normally.”

He tried sitting up, but the woman gestured for him to lay down.

“It’s better if you don’t move, so just lie down,” she said. Then she sucked her teeth and continued, “You nearly gave your poor daughter a heart attack.”

“That’s right!” Kokoro yelled. She walked into the room and immediately glared at him. He leaned farther back against the pillow and shied away from her glance.

“You overdid it!” she scolded him.

“I know,” he sighed out. 

“Look! Sensei’s alright!” Naruto yelled as he, Sasuke, and Tazuna entered the room. 

“Thank you for taking down that guy,” Tazuna said cheerfully. “We’ll be safe for a while.”

Kokoro grimaced and gave her dad a look. She kneeled beside his bed and checked him over before she said, “There was something weird with that hunter-nin.”

“A shinobi’s body contains many secrets. It is a hunter’s job to keep the village’s secrets safe. If a ninja betrays their village, the hunter hunts them down, eliminates them, and obliterates every trace of them. That’s their specialty. They deal with the body immediately, so there’s no room for error,” Kakashi said.

“Exactly,” Kokoro said as she snapped her fingers. “He should have dealt with Zabuza right then and there, but instead he took him somewhere.”

“And think of the weapon he used to take down Zabuza,” Kakashi prompted them.

“Throwing needles,” Sasuke said in astonishment. “No way.”

“None of it adds up,” Kokoro said.

“What are you talking about?” Tazuna asked. “What is the meaning of this?”

“To put it simply, Zabuza is still alive,” Kakashi informed them. Naruto and Tazuna gasped.

“But you checked him yourself!” Naruto protested.

“His heart did stop, but that was just a temporary state to stimulate death,” Kakashi deduced. “The weapons the hunter-nin used are called senbon. They can pierce a person’s skin deeply, but they rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ.”

“And Zabuza was hit in the neck,” Kokoro added, “which means the hunter-nin wasn’t aiming to kill him.”

“Causing the heart to stop while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them,” Kakashi explained. “The hunter-nin carried Zabuza away, even though Zabuza was heavy, and the hunter-nin used senbon, a non-lethal weapon. It’s safe to say that we can conclude the hunter-nin was trying to save him.”

“You’re overthinking this, aren’t you?” Tazuna asked worriedly.

“Hesitation leads to disaster,” Kakashi said. “It’s better to be prepared.”

“If you didn’t get him last time, how are you going to get him this time?” Tazuna asked.

“These three will be undergoing a little last-minute training,” Kakashi informed them.

“Sensei, how can you train us if you’re still injured, dattebayo?” Naruto asked. Kakashi laughed sinisterly. Kokoro bonked him on the head and yelled, “Stop being so dramatic!”

“You’ll love the training I have for you,” Kakashi said, ignoring the slight ache in his head.


	12. Chapter 12

“We’ll be working on chakra control today,” Kakashi informed his students. 

“What are we gonna do, then?” Naruto asked.

“Climb a tree,” Kakashi said with a chuckle. Kokoro’s earlier nervousness drained from her body and was replaced by annoyance. She already knew how to climb a tree. It was one of the things her dad made sure she had down pat. She needed to have a better grasp on her chakra.

“Climb a tree?” Sasuke and Naruto asked simultaneously.

“Yes, but there’s one catch: You have to do it without your hands,” the jounin said. 

“You’re kidding,” Sasuke deadpanned. Kakashi gave them an eye smile and gestured towards Kokoro. She smiled and jumped at the opportunity to show them up. Really, she just liked to show-off what she already knew. It gave her the satisfaction to be able to do things others couldn’t.

She channeled chakra to her feet. She imagined a pole of chakra running the length of her legs, and at the bottom of it, her feet, she imagined a cloud of chakra rushing around in circles. It was an unorthodox way of imagining it, but it helped her with her chakra control. She walked up to a tree and placed her right foot on it. When she felt her foot latch onto the bark, she lifted her left foot. She walked all the way up the tree until she found a sturdy branch to sit on.

“Woah! You never did that when we trained together dattebayo! How’d you do it?” Naruto asked.

“Focus your chakra on the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree,” Kakashi told him. After he explained it a bit more, he let them free to figure it out themselves. Kokoro walked down the tree and walked up to her dad. She tried to sweep his crutches away from him with her leg but failed miserably. 

“Nice try,” he said. She grunted and observed him. He was still pretty banged up. He had bandages wrapped around him in certain areas and he was using crutches to help him walk around. He looked tired and worn out.

“So, what am I gonna do?” she asked him. He hummed before he looked out at the lake. He glanced at her and gestured towards the water. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

“I don’t want to practice that. I’ve already mastered that. You made sure of it.”

“You shouldn’t slack off,” he scolded her.

“I want to learn something new,” she complained. “I’ve been doing these exercises ever since I could mold my chakra. I’m bored!”

Kakashi sighed and glanced at his other two students. They were moving at the same pace and probably wouldn’t finish until late. He could send her to protect Tazuna, but it was kind of moot. Zabuza wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack so soon after their battle. 

“Why don’t you work on your jutsu. It needs improvement if you want to use it in battle,” he suggested. She contemplated his words before she agreed. She really did need to work on it. It wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be. She left the area they were practicing in and walked through the trees until she came across a small clearing. 

She walked until she was in the middle of the clearing to give herself ample space to practice. She made the correct hand signs and the ground around her was disrupted by ice spears. Ice Release: Ice Spears. It was the only other ice release jutsu she knew how to do. Unlike her Ice Prison, however, it wasn’t strong enough to be used on an enemy. She touched the tip of one of the ice spears and it immediately shattered. She pouted at her results and flopped to the ground.

She didn’t know how to remedy it. She wanted to make it stronger, but she didn’t know how to. She didn’t know any other ice users. Her dad said that the strength of her jutsu corresponded to the amount of chakra she had and her control over her chakra, but she thought she had a good hold on her chakra. Plus, she knew she had a lot of chakra; she could feel it inside of her.

She sighed and bent her leg so it could hold her arm up. She leaned her cheek against her hand and stared at the remaining ice spears. There were only four more, which wasn’t a lot. She wanted to be able to make enough to cover an entire field. The feeling of being watched invaded her and she stiffened. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” a light voice said from her left. Kokoro swiveled her head and locked eyes with a person around the same age as her. She couldn’t identify if they were male or female. They had long black hair and large brown eyes. Their voice was slightly masculine, but still, she couldn’t tell. 

“No worries,” Kokoro answered. She didn’t feel any danger coming from the person. They looked like a regular citizen.

“Pardon my prying but you seem frustrated,” the person said.

“Just a little,” Kokoro admitted.

“May I ask why?”

“...I’m having trouble with my jutsu.”

“You have a unique jutsu,” the person said, referring to the ice spears peaking out of the green grass.

“Yes, you could say that,” Kokoro said. “I haven’t met anyone with the same jutsu as me. I almost feel like I’m the only one with it.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“What do you mean?” Kokoro asked suspiciously.

“What’s wrong with your jutsu?” the person asked. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at the subject change but let it go. She wasn’t going to pick a fight with a citizen. It would be unfair of her to do so.

“It’s not strong enough and I can’t make enough. I’ve tried countless time but nothing ever changes,” Kokoro said while looking down. She picked up a twig, snapped it in half, and threw it back to the ground. 

“May I see you do it?”

“Why?”

“I’m curious.”

Kokoro sighed and stood up. She brushed her pants off and went through the motions. Before she finished the jutsu, the person stopped her. 

“You’re forgetting a sign,” they informed her. She scoffed and turned her head to the side. She knew she had it right. The few scrolls her dad had on ice release were informative. How could they be wrong when they were in writing?

“What would you know about it?” she asked a bit snootily. They smirked before performing a number of hand signs. They slammed their hand against the ground and ice spears broke through the ground around them. Kokoro stumbled back and accidentally touched one of them. She backed away from it, but stared at in inquisitively when it didn’t break. Experimentally, she touched one with the tip of her finger and was amazed when it didn’t fall apart.

“How did you do that?” she asked excitedly. She looked at the person with stars in her eyes. She rushed up to them and grabbed their hands in hers. They chuckled and smiled at her enthusiasm.

“I’m an ice user myself,” they confessed. Kokoro gasped and stepped back from them.

“Are you - I mean, are we....related?” she asked. She bit her lip and waited impatiently for an answer.

“I’m not sure, but it’s a possibility,” they said. “Tell me: who are your parents?”

“I don’t know who my mom is, but I know she’s from the Land of Water.”

“Kirigakure?”

“I don’t think so. Dad said he met her in one of the smaller villages.”

The person hummed and observed Kokoro intently. Their eyes roamed her face and stopped from time to time on specific facial features. A small sliver of recognition entered their eyes and a tiny smile formed on their face.

“You look like her,” they mused.

“Like who?”

“My mother.”

“W-what? Are you saying that we’re -?”

“Not quite,” they said. Gracefully, they fell to the ground and sat cross-legged. They patted the spot next to them and Kokoro sat down as fast as she could. 

“My mother was very open with me and she held no relations with anyone besides my father. Our jutsu is feared throughout the nations. For this reason, our clan was hunted down and slaughtered. Those who were able to escape scattered to live regular lives. Our grandparents, along with our mothers, were very fortunate in escaping.

Our grandmother wanted to marry off our mothers. She said it would protect them and ensure them safe lives. My mother had already met my father and had fallen in love. Before she knew it, she was pregnant with me. That left only your mother. Our grandmother set up a marriage between my aunt, your mother, and a wealthy man.

Before your mother married, she became pregnant. Your mother had to go to the Land of Tea to collect something for her upcoming marriage and had relations with a man. Our grandparents were outraged and made your mother keep her pregnancy a secret. They moved back the wedding and used illness as an excuse.

When you were born, I was already two years of age. I was able to see you once before you were sent to live with your father. Your mother was given a month to recuperate before she was sent off. My mother and I never saw her again,” they finished. Kokoro remained quiet as she listened to them recount what had happened. She had no idea her ice release was feared. Was that why her father was the only person who knew of it? Is that why her father told her to never practice it in front of others?

“What clan were we from?” she asked quietly.

“The Yuki clan.”

“So, we’re cousins?” 

“Yes.” 

“What’s your name?” Kokoro asked.

“Haku. And you are Kokoro.”

“How?”

“I was too young to remember you, but my mother often spoke of you and your mother. Before she died, she told me to reunite with you one day,” Haku said with a fond smile.

“She died?” Kokoro asked in shock.

“Yes. The village we hid in was destroyed. I was the only survivor.”

Kokoro encompassed Haku in a hug and held them for a few seconds before she let go.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. I can’t imagine losing my dad.”

“It’s okay,” Haku said softly. “I’ve found someone.”

“I’m glad,” Kokoro said. Abruptly, she stood up and held out a hand to Haku. She pulled them up and smiled widely at them.

“So, can you help me out? With my ice release?” she asked.

“Like I said earlier, you’re missing a hand sign,” Haku reminded her. They showed her how to do it and had Kokoro practice it until she got it right. After her tenth attempt, she threw her hands up in frustration and pouted.

“I don’t understand!” she shouted. “I’m doing all the right signs, but it’s not working!”

“You’re focusing too much on the hand signs. You have to think about how dense you want them to be, how sharp, how tall, how many.”

“How am I supposed to do that?!” Kokoro shouted.

“Practice,” Haku said, stressing the word. “Go again.”

They practice together until the sky started to darken and Kokoro’s dad was shouting her name looking for her. The cousins looked in the direction of the voice. Kokoro’s chest inflated and deflated at a fast tempo, indicating the intense training she had. 

“You want to meet my dad?” Kokoro asked. “I’m sure he’d be happy to.”

“Maybe another time,” Haku said. They started walking off but stopped when Kokoro called out tot hem.

“Will I see you again?” she asked with sadness. Haku smiled and told her he would not be far. She sighed in relief before a look of urgency overtook her face.

“I have one more question!” she yelled quickly. Haku looked back at her.

“Um, well, are you a girl or a boy?” she asked shyly. “I don’t mean to offend you, but I just don’t know....how to....address.....you.”

Haku laughed and said, “I’m a boy.”

* * *

Dear Gaara,

I met some of my long lost family. I never thought I’d meet any of my mother’s family. I met my cousin. He’s such a soft person compared to me. He’s less pushy and tends to keep his opinions to himself. Thinking about meeting my family makes me think about you and your family.

I hope your relationship with your sister and brother is okay. I know they were mean when you were little, but family is family. Hopefully, they understand that now. Just forgive them when the time comes. I don’t know if I could right away, but eventually, I’d be able to.

Kokoro

* * *

“Who were you talking to earlier, Koko?” Kakashi asked. They’d just finished eating dinner and the two of them were sitting in a room together.

“Just someone passing through,” she said. She wanted to tell him that she met her cousin, but Haku didn’t want to meet her father. He had to have some reason for not wanting to.

“Don’t lie to me,” Kakashi said sternly.

“It’s no one important.”

“If you’re in danger-”

“I’m not, dad,” she said forcefully. “I promise”

“Just be safe. I can’t be around you 24/7 during this mission and with Zabuza still alive.....”

“We all agreed he wouldn’t be attacking for a few days. Besides, tomorrow I’m on Tazuna duty.”

“Just be ready. I’m almost healed, and I have no doubt he is too.”


	13. Chapter 13

Kokoro, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Tazuna left the house to supervise and guard the bridge workers as they built the bridge. Naruto had trained too hard the night before and was still recovering. Kokoro shook her head at his antics and wondered if he ever thought about taking breaks while he trained. She opened her eyes and almost gasped at what she saw. The sight that they stumbled upon was worse than they could imagine. Every worker was laying on the bridge with pools of blood surrounding them. Their expressions were frozen in a state of shock and fear. They didn’t have any time to think about what had happened as thick mist appeared and surrounded them. 

“He’s coming!” Kakashi warned them quietly. Kokoro, Sasuke, and Kakashi surrounded Tazuna. They stood in defensive positions with their kunai at the ready.

“You’re still hanging with those brats. Seems like one of them is shaking. Pitiful,” Zabuza’s voice rang out. They couldn’t see him, but they could hear him. He was closer than they thought. In the blink of an eye, his clones popped up and grinned evilly at them. 

“I’m shaking with excitement,” Sasuke said with an edge to his voice. Kakashi encouraged him to attack, and he did. Sasuke stabbed every clone with ferocity and eliminated all of them. He ended the last water clone and landed beside Kokoro. She gave him a wavering smile and tried to focus on the enemy. Honestly, she couldn’t stop thinking about how dangerous it was; how dangerous it was last time.

“Don’t back down now,” Sasuke told her solidly. Kokoro stared at him in shock. He smirked at her and looked away from her. She looked at her dad and met his eyes. He firmly nodded, which she took as a sign of reassurance. She took a deep breath, rolled her eyes, and schooled her features. 

“The brat’s improved,” Zabuza said. His form appeared through the mist and Kokoro’s hand clenched tighter around her kunai. Beside him was the hunter-nin. She narrowed her eyes at his appearance. She knew there was something fishy about the way he had dealt with the missing-nin. 

“Looks like you have a rival, Haku,” he said. Her eyes knitted together and she stared at the hunter-nin in anticipation. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe there was someone else in the area with the same name.

“It appears so,” the hunter-nin said. Her face fell and her heart dropped in her chest. There was no denying it; the hunter-nin was her cousin. She stared at Haku with hurt in her eyes. He had met up with her two more times after they first met to train. He had been so nice and sweet. He had never shown any ill intent towards her or any signs that he could be the enemy. 

“I’ll fight him,” Sasuke said. “I hate conceited guys like that.”

“You don’t know what he can do,” Kokoro warned him. He glanced at her sideways with a questioning glance. 

“And you do?”

She bit her lip and refused to answer him. She knew how much trouble she would be in once her dad figured out how she spent her time training. She wasn’t ready to face the repercussions just yet. 

“Tell me,” Sasuke demanded. Kokoro didn’t have time to answer as Haku jumped into action. Haku spun towards Sasuke with immense speed and met Sasuke head-on with his senbon. Sasuke deflected his attack with his kunai and struggled against Haku to gain the upper hand. 

“Kokoro, stay with Tazuna,” Kakashi ordered. Wildly, she glanced from Sasuke and Haku to Kakashi. She didn’t know what she should do. She took a step towards the fighting boys but stopped when Kakashi yelled at her.

“That’s an order!” he yelled. Defeated, she stepped back and went to protect Tazuna. She wanted to help Sasuke. She had sparred against Haku before, so she knew some of his moves. He was strong and fast and more powerful than any other person her age. She knew Sasuke could handle himself, but she was worried. 

Suddenly, water from the bridge lifted and turned into senbons. They surrounded Sasuke and Haku in a dangerous circle. The needles darted at Sasuke, who had his eyes closed. Kokoro went to call out for him but it was unneeded as he evaded the attack. With a burst of chakra, Sasuke launched into the air and pushed Haku away. He appeared behind Haku and the two started fighting once again. Sasuke was able to overpower him and throw him at Zabuza’s feet. 

“At this rate, you’ll be defeated,” Zabuza told Haku. In response, Haku collected his chakra and put his hands together.

“Hidden Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors,” Haku said. Mirrors made out of ice surrounded the two and obstructed her view of them. At the sight of the ice jutsu, Kakashi looked at Kokoro. She looked away from him in shame. She felt guilty for not telling him sooner about her training partner. Maybe then we would have been more ready to fight Haku, she thought. She’d never seen Haku perform that particular jutsu, but she knew it had to be deadly.

She quickly went over what she knew about ice jutsu. She knew it was practically impenetrable; nothing could break the ice if it was strong enough, and Haku’s ice was undoubtedly strong enough to withstand even Sasuke’s most powerful fire jutsu. 

The number of mirrors and the gaps between them had to mean something, too. The mirrors surrounded them, which meant the jutsu was made to trap its victims. She saw Haku’s body poke out of one of the mirrors and concluded that he used the mirrors as transportation. That made things worse. How would Sasuke know which mirror he was going to come from?

“Sasuke, can you hear me?!” Kokoro yelled. When she heard him shout in affirmation she said, “Don’t waste your chakra on fire jutsu. The ice is too strong and won’t melt from it. You need to figure out a way to identify which mirror he’ll come out of.”

“How do you know that?” he asked loudly. His question was followed by a grunt of pain.

“Just trust me!” she yelled. She saw Haku lean out of a mirror behind Sasuke and yelled his name. Fortunately, a shuriken distracted Haku and made him fall out. Naruto appeared in a puff of smoke and Kokoro was never more happy to see someone in her life. Now, he could watch Tazuna while she helped Sasuke.

“Naruto Uzumaki is finally here!” he announced dramatically. Kokoro rolled her eyes at his antics and started running over to Sasuke.

“Naruto, watch-”

She stopped running and irritation bubbled inside of her. Naruto had jumped in the middle of the circle of mirrors to help Sasuke. With no other choice, she rushed back to defend Tazuna. In a huff of frustration, she shouted, “Naruto, you idiot!”

She could do nothing but blindly watch as Sasuke and Naruto fought her cousin. Her cousin. He wasn’t supposed to be the enemy! He was supposed to come with her back to Konoha. That was what he had promised her during one of their talks. They were going to live together and she was going to finally be connected to her mother. Why did he have to lie to her? She saw wisps of fire escape between the mirrors and cursed.

“I told you not to waste your chakra!” she yelled. She was too distracted, allowing Zabuza to pop up behind her and Tazuna. She noticed his presence and turned to see him running at them. She pushed Tazuna behind her and got into a defensive position in front of him. Zabuza swung his blade and Kokoro got ready for the impact. It was all for naught as Kakashi intercepted the blade with his body. 

“Dad!” she yelled in concern. 

“You were late entering to guard, Kakashi,” Zabuza said menacingly. “Your whole-hearted intent to help those kids has gone to your head, and it seems to have clouded you Sharingan.”

He was using his Sharingan, she questioned in her head. It was his ultimate defense and offense and he had already started using it. Kakashi pushed his battle with Zabuza away from her and Tazuna, allowing her to focus back on Haku and her teammates. 

It was eerily quiet in the circle of mirrors and it caused her to worry for everyone within it. She worried, even more, when a bright orange glow appeared. She felt the malicious intent emanate from the orange chakra and she knew instantly what it was. The Kyuubi. Don’t lose yourself, Naruto, she thought as an image of Gaara attacking her filtered through her mind.

“I’m going to kill you!” she heard Naruto roar. She gasped and watched in awe as Naruto shattered a mirror with his bare fist. He didn’t stop until every mirror was broken. Now that she had a view of what was going on, she wished she didn’t. Sasuke was laying on the ground with needles sticking out of his back. He wasn’t moving or breathing. She grabbed Tazuna’s hand and pulled him towards Sasuke in a hurry.

When she got to him, she kneeled beside him and touched a senbon before retracting her hand. She didn’t know how to help him. She had never seen someone in such a state before. She knew she needed access to his heart to perform CPR, but she needed to remove the needles first to do so. Carefully, she started sliding the needles out of his skin. She cringed as each empty hole leaked a small amount of blood.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of thousands of birds chirping. She whipped her head around to look at her dad and saw he had activated his favorite lightning jutsu, the Chidori. He had Zabuza held down by his ninkin, his dog summons. He thrust his hand towards Zabuza. At that moment, Kokoro looked in Haku’s direction. He had built a new ice mirror. She shifted her focus back to the fight with Zabuza and her dad and saw an ice mirror start to materialize next to the missing shinobi. 

Kokoro was filled with dread as she realized what Haku was about to do. She shook her head furiously as tears leaked from her eyes. She couldn’t. She couldn’t lose him. She just found him! There was so much she still had to learn from him; there was so much she wanted to do with him. With ferocity and speed she didn’t know she possessed, Kokoro ran through her hand signs and slammed her hands on the ground. 

A line of spikes made out of ice disrupted the ground and wedged itself between Kakashi and Haku and Zabuza. They were thicker and bigger than any spikes she had made before. They towered over the fighting shinobi and were thicker than a healthy tree. Kakashi’s Chidori made contact with the ice spikes just as they formed. A loud booming sound filled the air as everyone on the bridge was thrown back by a powerful burst. The air was thick with dust and debris, eliminating sight.

Kokoro wobbled in her position and anxiously waited for the air to clear. She was on the brink of collapse, but she needed to see that her cousin made it. Slowly, the air returned to normal and she was finally able to see her dad and cousin again. They were motionless on the ground before they started to move. Her dad was the first one up, followed by Zabuza and Haku. 

Kakashi looked at the remains of the ice jutsu she had just used and looked at her. After a beat, he asked, “Why?”

“Please,” she breathed out heavily. She was drained from the magnitude of the Ice Spears jutsu she just used. “Please, don’t kill Haku.”

“What the hell is this brat going on about?” Zabuza asked confusedly. He was in a defensive position and still had Kakashi in his peripherals. However, the way his student was drawn to the girl and her use of the familiar and unique jutsu piqued his interest.

“I am but a tool, Kokoro. Do not worry about me,” Haku said plainly. Unfortunately, he could not hide the small hint of relief in his voice. 

“I won’t-!” she yelled as she stood up. A rush of vertigo hit her and she swayed back and forth before she regained her footing. “I won’t let you die! I can’t!”

Zabuza thought for a second before he asked, “You related to this brat, Haku?”

“...Yes, Zabuza,” Haku said quietly. Zabuza humphed and crossed his arms. 

“Please,” she said once more before she hit the ground. “Please don’t let another person die here.”

She passed out before she could hear their response. 

* * *

Dear Gaara,

Death is weird. I think about it a lot, especially because of our jobs. One of dad’s friends died the other day. Dad wasn’t close to him, but they still had gone on missions together and drank at the bar together. I had to go to his funeral. It was the saddest event I ever went to. Everybody mourned him; nobody celebrated him. 

I’m sure he accomplished a lot for the village. I’m sure he was a good father and a good husband. I’m sure he helped people when he could and smiled at those who passed by him. I want people to celebrate me when I die. If people cry at my funeral, then that means their memories with me were filled with regret. I won’t live my life with regrets. 

Kokoro

* * *

Kokoro groaned and reached for her head. She touched a particularly tender spot on her head and hissed. A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from her head. Scared and confused, Kokoro opened her eyes slowly and winced at the intensity of the light. She noticed she was in a building due to the ceiling above her. Her body felt drained and her head was pounding.

“Koko,” a masculine voice said from beside her. She turned her head too quickly and groaned. The image of her father popped in her view. He looked down at her with worry and relief.

“Dad?” she asked confusedly. She sat up and noticed they were the only ones in the room. “What happened?”

Kakashi sighed and said, “You passed out and hit your head on the bridge.”

Memories of the fight rushed through her head, causing her to feel dizzy. The last thing she remembered was embarrassingly pleading her dad not to kill her only cousin. She lightly blushed and reprimanded herself in her head.

“What happened to Sasuke?” she asked. “And Haku? What about-?”

“Slow down, Koko. I’ll tell you, but I need you to calm down. You almost depleted all of your chakra using that jutsu. You almost- you almost died.”

Kokoro processed his words solemnly. She reached her arms out and wrapped her dad in a hug. She squeezed him close and buried her face in his neck. He hugged her back just as tight. When she pulled away, she noticed the watery glaze her dad’s eyes had and bit her lip in guilt.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She hung her head even though it hurt to do so. She never wanted to worry him. “I just couldn’t let him die.”

“I know. After you passed out, Gato and his men showed up. Zabuza fought them but sustained too many injuries. He died,” Kakashi said.

“Haku?”

“He’s still alive.”

She perked up at his words but deflated by his next ones.

“He’s currently detained in one of the rooms. He’ll have to come back to the village to pay for his crimes, unfortunately.”

“Can I vouch for him?” she asked hopefully. “I know he was the enemy, but he doesn’t deserve to be punished harshly.”

“The Sandaime won’t punish him too harshly,” Kakashi tried to reassure her.

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” she muttered. “What happened to Sasuke? Is he...”

“Sasuke is fine, Koko. Haku wasn’t trying to kill him, apparently. Sasuke’s still recovering in the next room over.”

“And Naruto’s okay?”

“Yes.”

“What happens now?”

“We’ll stay until the bridge is finished. Then, we’ll head home. After this mission, I assume we won’t be going on C rank missions any time soon,” he said.

“I’m just happy everyone’s okay.”

A few weeks later, when everyone had recovered from their injuries, Team Seven left Wave Country and headed towards Konoha. The entire trip back, Kokoro talked to Haku. She wanted to make up for lost time. Naruto seemed happy, too, though she didn’t know what the relationship between him and her cousin was. Kakashi was content and kept an eye on Haku and Kokoro. The only one who didn’t seem happy was Sasuke. Judging by the glares and glances he tried to sneak at Kokoro and Haku, he was envious. Kokoro caught his eye a few times and tried to assure him; she knew how he was ever since Itachi murdered his clan. It wasn’t working.

When they got back to Konoha, Haku was detained and interrogated for a week. He wasn’t allowed visitors, so Kokoro couldn’t visit him. However, she took every opportunity to vouch for him to the Hokage. Thankfully, Haku was released, but under a few conditions: he was restricted to the village, his chakra was restricted, and he had to be watched by ANBU until he was deemed trustworthy.

Her dad was right when he said they wouldn’t be going on any more C rank missions any time soon. They were cursed with D rank missions and faulty teamwork. Honestly, the number of times Kokoro bonked the two idiots on the head for not working together was ridiculous. She hoped they got it together soon. It was about that time of the year, and knowing her prideful father, he would surely put them to the test.


	14. Chapter 14

"Alright, guys," Kakashi said exasperatedly. "Let's finish for the day. I have to file my report on this mission."

Kokoro watched him stare at the sky with a knowing look as he said it. She knew the Hokage was summoning him for something, but she wasn't sure what for. She stared at him until he made eye contact with her. He winked, causing her eyes to widen tremendously. She mouthed the words 'Chunin Exams' and almost let out a squeal when he nodded his head in confirmation.

She straightened herself when Kakashi put a finger to his mouth. She zipped her lips like a zipper and nodded her head. Her eyes sharpened and a gleam entered her eyes. She was so ready to fight in the exams. Then, she frowned. Honestly, she needed to work on her skills a bit more before the exams started. She knew her dad wouldn't want her to use her kekkei genkai during the exams, so that left her with her wind, water, and lightening affinities. Her dad refused to work with her on her lightening, so all that was left was wind and water.

She knew one wind jutsu and two water jutsus, all C rank as Kakashi refused to teach her anything higher than that. So, she had three jutsu to work with; she didn't have time to learn a whole new one. The best thing she could do was polish the jutsu she knew and practice her taijutsu skills. Genjutsu was out of the question. She wasn't that great at it and it was confusing to her.

In her musings, Kokoro failed to notice that her teammates had left her alone. She huffed and started walking in a random direction. Turning a corner, she saw Hinata, Kiba, and Shino walking ahead of her. She put up a hand and yelled, "Hinata! Kiba! Shino!"

They turned around and greeted her as she ran up to them.

"Hey, Kokoro. What's up?" Kiba asked.

"Nothing. I just got done with a mission," she said.

"Let me guess: Naruto messed it up again," Kiba said.

"He did," she sighed out. "His rivalry with Sasuke is getting out of control. The Hokage won't even let us go on any missions ranked higher than C because of those two."

"I'm sure Naruto doesn't mean to," Hinata said shyly while looking down.

"I know he doesn't mean to," Kokoro said frustratedly, "but it isn't doing our team any good. I'm ready to beat some sense into him."

"That wouldn't be beneficial," Shino said. "Why? Because you'd only uselessly deplete your own energy."

"You're right," Kokoro admitted. "I can't even find them right now!"

"Really?" Kiba asked. "We just walked past Naruto a few minutes ago. He was being trailed by a couple of Academy kids and Sakura."

Kiba jabbed his thumb to the left and rolled his eyes. Kokoro thanked him and told her peers goodbye before she ran off in the direction Kiba pointed. She spotted Sakura first; her pink hair stood out like a sore thumb. Kokoro pursed her lips and approached the girl. She tapped her on her shoulder and waited until Sakura turned around to speak.

"Kiba said you've seen Naruto," Kokoro said straight to the point. Sakura mouth popped open in surprise before it molded into an annoyed expression.

"That idiot ran off with the Hokage's grandson. They ran off after I showed them why they shouldn't insult a lady," she said as she crossed her arms. Her nose was in the air and her hip was popped out.

"Did you hit him?" Kokoro asked intently.

"Of course I did," Sakura said haughtily. "My parents always did say he needed some sense beaten into him."

"The only one who gets to beat sense into him is me!" Kokoro proclaimed loudly. She didn't like what Sakura's parents insinuated. Naruto just didn't have the same upbringing as the rest of them. There wasn't anyone there to reprimand him on his actions, and Kokoro understood that. "The next time you put your hands on him, you better hope I don't hear about it!"

Sakura flinched and then humphed.

"It's not like I care anyway. I was only looking for Sasuke," Sakura confessed.

"I'm sure you'll find him sitting in the best hiding place in the village," Kokoro said snarkily. Sakura rubbed her the wrong way. There was just something about the pinkette that didn't allow Kokoro to become friends with her. Kokoro respected her knowledge, but not her personality. With a sneer, Kokoro walked away.

"Konohamaru!"

Kokoro stilled before she burst into a sprint. Naruto's distressed call was enough to set her on edge. She rounded the corner and skidded to a halt. She was surprised by who she saw and upset at what she saw. She couldn't be sure it was who she thought it was, but he looked too familiar.

"Kankuro? Temari?" she asked in astonishment. 'Kankuro' was holding Konohamaru by his blue scarf with one hand and grinning evilly at the small boy. When he heard Kokoro speak, he turned his head. His eyes widened before they narrowed gleefully.

"Kokoro Hatake. Never thought I'd see you again," Kankuro said. He was wearing purple face paint and an all-black one piece. His hitai-ate sat proudly on his forehead, and on his back was a wrapped, cylindrical item. He lowered his hand but refused to let go of Konohamaru. Next to Naruto, two kids called out to him in fright.

Temari, who stood a few steps back from Kankuro, had her blonde hair in four, spiky pigtails. Her turquoise eyes were narrowed in annoyance and her mouth was set in a grim line. Her hitai-ate sat around her neck and she was wearing a light pink dress with a red ribbon tied around her waist.

"What are you doing, Kankuro? Put him down, "Kokoro demanded.

"This little punk thought he could run into me. I'm just showing him the consequences of his decision," Kankuro said. Then, he sneered at Konohamaru and said, "So, does this hurt, punk?"

"Put him down, Kankuro," Temari said. "Or you know you'll pay for it later."

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Naruto yelled.

Kankuro ignored him and said, "We got a few minutes before _he _gets here. Let's mess with these punks, huh?"

Kokoro briefly wondered who 'he' was before her attention was drawn elsewhere. Naruto ran forward and tried attacking Kankuro. However, he tripped on something and tumbled to the ground. Kokoro grunted in embarrassment and walked over to him to help him up.

"What the-! What was that?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"You're a Leaf genin, too? Looks like your village is full of wimps," Kankuro said nastily.

"Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!" Konohamaru screamed. Having enough of Kankuro's bullying, Kokoro ran forward silently, making sure Kankuro wouldn't hear her sneak up on him. She was successful and hit him in the back. She made sure to apply enough pressure to push him, but not enough to hurt Konohamaru. He lurched forward and turned around. Before he could fully turn, Kokoro swept his feet from underneath him and his grip on Konohamaru loosened. Both boys fell to the ground.

Kokoro helped Konohamaru up and made sure he was safe with Naruto before she pinned a glare on Kankuro. She watched him stand up and face her with a menacing gaze.

"Who's the wimp now?" Kokoro asked with a smirk. Kankuro growled and pulled his arm back to punch her. When his fist was halfway to her face, a pebble struck his wrist and he was forced to grip his appendage in pain. She followed the projectile of the pebble and saw Sasuke sitting in a tree.

"You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league," Sasuke said lowly. In his left hand was another pebble that he continuously threw up in the air. She rolled her eyes at his dramatics and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Great entrance, princess," Kokoro said. "Mind getting down now?"

"Oh great. Another wimp to tick me off," Kankuro muttered.

"Get lost," was all Sasuke said. He made eye contact with Kokoro and asked, "You good?"

"I'm completely fine," she answered plainly.

"Hey, punk! Get down here!" Kankuro yelled. When Sasuke said nothing, he continued by saying, "You're the kind of pest I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up."

Kankuro grabbed the end of the gauze covering the thing on his back and began unraveling it.

"What! Are you gonna use the Crow for this?" Temari asked uneasily. Kankuro ignored her and placed the thing on the ground next to him. Only the top of it was unwrapped, revealing brown tufts of something similar to hair or fur. Kokoro got into a defensive stance.

"If you think I'll allow you to attack my teammates, you're sorely mistaken," the silver-haired girl said. "I'd advise you to be on your way."

"Like I'm scared of you," Kankuro sneered.

"You're here for the Chunin Exams, aren't you?" she asked, "Fighting before the exams is prohibited. Besides, you wouldn't want to start something without home-village advantage, would you?"

"I can beat you regardless of where we are!" Kankuro yelled angrily.

"Kankuro, back off."

Kokoro watched Kankuro's form grow cold and hesitant. She followed his gaze and what she saw made her catch her breath. Standing upside down on the same tree Sasuke was sitting was Gaara. There was no doubt about it. His seafoam green eyes were still surrounded by black lines, his hair was still the same shade of red, and the kanji for love still stood proudly on his forehead. He was dressed in neutral colors and on his back was a huge gourd. She grew excited before she caught a glimpse of the hatred swimming in his eyes. He was still angry.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara finished. He glared at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes and held his gaze for longer than was comfortable.

"Uh... ah... Hey, Gaara," Kankuro said shakily.

"Have you forgotten the reason we came here?" Gaara questioned.

"I know. I, I mean, they challenged us. They started the whole thing, really," Kankuro stuttered out. "See, here's what happened-"

"Shut. Up," Gaara said shortly. Or I'll kill you."

"Ah, right. I was totally out of line. I'm- I'm sorry, Gaara," Kankuro apologized. Gaara was engulfed in sand and disappeared. A second later, he landed next to Kankuro and Temari. Sasuke followed suit and dropped to the ground beside Kokoro. He stood a few inches in front of her and shielded a part of her with his frame. She tsked and grumbled in dissatisfaction. She stopped her grumbling when Gaara made eye contact with her. She straightened her spine and let her arms hang lamely to her sides.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," Gaara said, not sounding apologetic in the least. Sasuke inched further in front of her, and before she was completely hidden from Gaara, she saw an annoyed look appear in his eyes.

"Let's go," Gaara said. "We didn't come here to play games."

"Wait!" Kokoro yelled out. She stepped from behind Sasuke and walked up to Gaara until she stood directly in front of him. She observed that she was a few inches taller than him. She searched his gaze and was slightly worried about what he would do once she did what she planned. She took a deep breath and leaned forward. She placed a kiss on his cheek, but instead of soft flesh, she was met with sand. She grimaced and pulled back.

"Don't do it again," Gaara warmed dangerously.

"Gaara, please don't do this again," Kokoro pleaded. "Don't shut me out again."

"I won't repeat myself," Gaara said as she tried reaching out to him. Suddenly, she was pulled back by Sasuke, who created a wall in front of her with Naruto. She peeked through the hole their necks created and saw that Gaara's body was stiff and clenched.

"Judging by your headbands, you're genin from Sunagakure. State your business," Sasuke said.

"Have you all been living under a rock?" Temari asked incredulously. "You don't know what's going on, do you? We have permission."

She raised her visitor's pass and continued," Of course, you're correct. We are Suna genin. But we aren't here without reason. We're here for the Chunin Exams."

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"The Chunin Exams are exams that every genin has to take in order to graduate to being a chunin," Kokoro explained. "Why do you think my dad ran off in a hurry today?"

"Well, why didn't you say so! I'm so there, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. The three sand siblings ignored Naruto's outburst and started walking away. Kokoro let out a strangled noise of protest and tried moving past her teammates. Sasuke wasn't having it and caught her before she got too far.

"Hey, wait. Identify yourself," Sasuke said.

"You mean me?" Temari asked flirtatiously as she turned around.

"No, him. The one with the gourd," Sasuke stated.

Gaara stopped walking and met Sasuke's gaze head-on.

"My name is Gaara no Suna. I'm spurious about you, too. Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke introduced himself proudly. Gaara glared at him, his eyes flitting to the grip Sasuke had on Kokoro's wrist and back to meet Sasuke's eyes.

"I bet you're dying to know my name, right?" Naruto guessed happily.

"I couldn't care less," Gaara stated before he and his siblings fled the area. Kokoro sighed and watched them leave sadly. What she wouldn't give to talk to Gaara privately and explain herself better than she did years ago.

Sasuke dropped her wrist and leveled her with a hard stare. She grit her teeth and refused to make eye contact with him.

"Just say what you want to say so I can be on my way," she muttered.

"You know them," he accused.

"Yeah, so?" she said.

"What do you know about the guy with the gourd? You seem to be familiar with him," he said. Judgment laced his voice and it took all of Kokoro's willpower not to punch him and leave.

"We're friends," she said.

"You're friends with that psycho!?" Naruto yelled.

"He's just upset, is all," she defended Gaara.

"He doesn't see you as a friend," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "Seemed like he wanted to kill you just as much as he wanted to kill that other guy."

"Do you like him or something?" Naruto asked dubiously. He got in her face to analyze her expression. She pushed his face away and lightly blushed. She would be lying if she said he wasn't good looking in his own way, but she knew she shouldn't be thinking about that stuff yet.

"I don't!" she protested heavily. "Like I said, he's just a friend!"

"Keep it that way," Sasuke said. "We have exams to pass and he's in the way."

"Yeah, whatever," she mumbled. "I'm going to get something to eat."

She walked off and heard Naruto yell that he was joining her. She stopped walking and waited until he caught up to her to continue.

"Neh, Kokoro. Can we go to Ichiraku's?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"I'm not paying for your food again," she told him. Her small wallet was always affected by Naruto's appetite and she wanted to save money up to buy a new outfit. She was tired of the same shorts, shirt, and fishnet combo she wore daily. She knew that anything good would be expensive, so she had been saving up since they got back from their mission in the Land of Waves.

"Aw, c'mon. Please?" Naruto begged.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. Any other time I would, but I need the money for something else. Sorry," she apologized. Naruto muttered under his breath and kicked a nearby rock.

"So," he said, elongating the two-letter word, "what's the deal with that Gaara guy?"

"Do you remember when I used to talk about my friend during our breaks in training?"

"The one from Suna?" he asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kokoro face-palmed and hung her head before she said, "That was Gaara."

Naruto stared at her in disbelief and stopped walking.

"People were brave enough to pick on him?!" he exclaimed.

"He wasn't always this way," she said quietly. "He used to be so full of innocence and wonder. He's a lot like you, Naruto."

"You're crazy! I'm nothing like him!" Naruto yelled.

"He's misunderstood, just like you, Naruto. You don't like it when the villagers misunderstand you, right? Please keep that in mind," she said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Of course, her hand got stuck in her curls and she violently freed her fingers in frustration.

"I'm not hungry anymore. Here," she said as she pulled out a couple of bills. "This is all I'm giving you, so spend it wisely. I'm going to visit Haku."

"Yeah! Thank you, Kokoro!" he exclaimed before he ran off. Kokoro watched him leave and changed directions once he was out of sight. It was easy enough to get to Haku's apartment; he lived next door to her and Kakashi. She knocked on the door twice before she let herself in. Haku had told her that she was always welcome to visit, and she took that to heart. Haku was sitting on his couch reading a book on the history of Konoha.

"Studying?" Kokoro asked once Haku looked up at her.

"Yes. My exams are coming up soon. Your father informed me our exams are coming up, as well," Haku stated.

"Yeah, but he hasn't told us yet if we're going to actually partake in them. I'm guessing from your words, though, that he _has_ entered us," she said. She opened his refrigerator and grabbed the container of apple juice. She poured herself a drink and plopped on the couch next to her cousin.

"How do you feel about taking them?" Haku asked.

"Any other time, I would be immensely happy, but I'm not."

"Why is that?"

"Gaara is taking them, too," she said.

"You saw him today," Haku deduced.

"I did. He hates me," she said sadly. "I don't know how to get him to forgive me."

"Don't give up, Koko. He has been through things no child should have to go through. As long as you show him kindness and the determination to not give up on him, he will come around," Haku advised her. Kokoro disrupted his book and hugged him. Haku was surprised but hugged back anyway.

"Thanks, Haku."

"We're family. It's what family does," Haku said simply. Kokoro detangled herself from him and got up to leave.

"I gotta go check on dad," she explained sheepishly.

"Go on. Let me know if you need any help practicing your jutsu. I'd be happy to help."

"Dad doesn't think I should use my kekkei genkai during the exams. After hearing what happened to the Yuki clan, the Hokage and my dad thinks it's best not to alert Kirigakure," she said despondently. Haku frowned and mulled over the new information.

"I'll talk to your father. Maybe he can talk to the Hokage and have him reconsider."

"I doubt it," Kokoro said.

"I've never known you to give up on something you want, Koko," Haku said sharply. "Why are you giving up now?"

"I've asked and asked and asked again to use it, but dad will only let me use it during my private training with him. They keep shutting me down. They're not going to change their minds," she huffed.

"I see," Haku said softly. "Well, if you ever get into real danger, use it. Our kekkei genkai may be dangerous but it is strong. Meet me tomorrow after you're done with missions. You need to train it."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be posting once a week on Tuesdays/Wednesdays depending on your time zone. I drew Kokoro's outfit and I also drew what I thought she would look like. Of course, you can picture her however you want. Also, my drawing skills aren't the best, so take it with a grain of salt. Once the Chunin Exams start, I'll post the pictures!


	15. Chapter 15

"As I've said before, you need to visualize how you want your ice forms to look," Haku reminded Kokoro. "Each ice jutsu you use is different and requires different properties. Don't forget that."

"Yes, I remember," Kokoro said impatiently. "I thought you were going to show me a new jutsu. Can I learn your ice mirror one? It looks really cool!"

"It took me many months of practice to perfect; months that we do not have," Haku said.

She pouted but sobered up quickly and nodded in determination.

"We will be working on your stamina. You aren't used to your kekkei genkai yet, so you struggle to execute it without tiring yourself out. You have to be able to defend yourself against more than one enemy. I know two weeks isn't a lot of time to increase your stamina, but if you practice every day, it will improve," Haku said.

"So, what will I be doing? Drills?" she asked warily.

"Yes. You will be creating ice in the form of shapes of my choosing. They will all vary in size. You will have ten seconds to create each shape. If you fail to perfectly create it within the time frame, I will freeze a part of your body. If I succeed in covering your entire body in ice, that means you aren't strong enough and I will stop training you," Haku warned her.

Kokoro gulped, but she didn't let her fear show. She schooled her features and let him know she was ready to start. She was confident in her abilities and in her strength. However, training with her kekkei genkai was hard. She was only used to creating icicles and misshaped blocks of ice to protect her from others. She wasn't used to creating specific shapes, to molding her ice. She was sweating and her performance was slowing down. So far, her feet, legs, and torso were covered in ice. They were indicators of the five times she had failed already. She gasped as ice covered her chest and shot out involuntarily onto the ground.

"Focus," Haku barked out. "You're losing control. Next shape: Diamond, 5 inches."

Kokoro grit her teeth and continued until lunch. When Haku concluded training, Kokoro collapsed onto the ground, breathing laboriously. She flopped onto her back and stared up at the sky. She saw the clouds roll by and instantly wondered what Shikamaru would say at the moment. He'd probably complain and say that watching her train was 'such a drag'. She giggled at her thoughts and was surprised when Haku's face entered her line of sight.

"I didn't know you would be so giddy after training," he commented. Kokoro huffed and pushed hair out of her face.

"Trust me, it's not the practice that has me happy," she said. She sat up and leaned back against her hands to look at Haku. He sat down beside her and hummed.

"You trained well today," he praised her. "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"I'm buying a new outfit and then I'm going out to eat with Shikamaru and Choji. We haven't been hanging out a lot lately."

"Here," Haku said as he dug into his pockets and pulled out some money. "I know Naruto has a large appetite."

"Thanks, Haku," she said as she took the money gratefully. She stood up and stretched. She offered a hand to Haku, who waved her off and denied her invitation.

"I'm going to stay here a while."

"Suit yourself. I'll see you tomorrow for more practice," she said before she left the area. She made her way to the market and found her favorite clothing store without difficulty. She ordered a new outfit and walked out within ten minutes. She still had five hours until she had to meet up with Shikamaru and Choji and she was immensely hungry, so she walked over to the ramen stand and took a seat at the counter.

"One tonkotsu pork ramen, Teuchi-san!" Kokoro shouted as soon as she sat down. Teuchi smiled at her and greeted her whole Ayame, his daughter, set a glass of water in front of Kokoro. While she waited for her food, she looked around the small area and was startled to find the three sand siblings staring at her. They were sitting three seats down from and on the seats at the end of the row. She broke eye contact with them when a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her. She clapped her hands together and let out an "Itadakimasu" before she dug into her food.

"Have you figured out what you would like?" Teuchi asked the siblings. Kokoro slurped a noodle into her mouth and looked up. She thought for a second before she added her input.

"Gaara would probably like the shio pork ramen, and the two of you would probably like the miso chicken ramen," she said with a small smile. She didn't know why she felt so shy about having their attention, but she couldn't help shrink in on herself when their gazes swiveled towards her.

"We'll go with that then," Temari said slowly. Teuchi nodded and started ladling their orders. Ayame set glasses of water in front of them and tended to the other customer at the small stand.

"Anything here is good. Teuchi makes the best ramen," Kokoro said nervously.

"I'm surprised you like ramen. If I remember correctly, you have a sweet tooth," Kankuro said with a smirk.

"And if I remember correctly, you didn't wear so much makeup. What changed?" she asked innocently. Kankuro scowled and turned away from her, causing her to giggle. Three bowls of ramen were set down on the counter and talking between the two parties ceased. Kokoro stole a glance at Gaara as he raised his chopsticks to his mouth and watched his eyes widen before he ate at a faster pace. She nodded satisfactorily before finishing up her food.

"Another one?" Teuchi asked expectantly.

She shook her head and said, "I'm going out to eat with Choji and Shikamaru tonight. We're getting barbeque."

"Ah. Well, enjoy the rest of your day," he said.

"I will, Teuchi-san! If you see Naruto today, can you tell him to meet me at the training grounds in a few hours?" she asked.

"Of course-"

"Three bowls of miso pork ramen, Teuchi-san!"

Kokoro pursed her lips to hide a smile but was unsuccessful. Naruto spotted her and waved frantically to her. He plopped in the seat to her left, one seat away from Temari.

"Koko! What are you doing here?" he asked. She deadpanned and gestured towards the empty bowl in front of her.

"The same as everyone else," she said. He blushed and scratched the back of his head. She sighed and lightly punched him on the arm.

"What are you doing today?" she asked him.

"Probably nothing," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I might train later."

"Good. I want to train with you later," she informed him. He cheered and banged his fists on the counter.

"Looks like I was right to assume he was a bone-head," Temari sneered. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Naruto looked in their direction and shrieked when he realized who he was sitting by.

"What are you doing here?!" Naruto yelled. Kokoro dropped her fist on the top of his head hard. He whined and glared at her playfully. Teuchi placed a bowl in front of Naruto, who focused immediately on it.

"Be nice," Kokoro hissed at her teammate.

"Why would I be nice to them!" he shouted over a mouthful of noodles. "He beat up Konohamaru!"

"They're guests of Konoha," she reminded him. "Besides, Kankuro didn't beat Konohamaru up. He wishes he could defeat a twelve-year-old."

Kankuro overheard her sly comment and glared at her.

"All you punks know how to do is gang up on people. I wonder how big and bad you'd be if you were alone," Kankuro said.

"I'm sure I'd still be able to beat you," Kokoro smirked.

Kankuro stood up and said, "Show me then."

"No thanks," she said cheekily. "I'm not really supposed to embarrass guests."

"You're just chicken!" Kankuro said loudly.

"You're making a scene," Gaara said monotonously. "Either sit down or go back to the hotel."

Kankuro grumbled and sat down with a pout. Then, Gaara turned to Kokoro and said, "I didn't know Konoha was so hostile towards foreign shinobi."

"Who says we're being hostile," Kokoro shot back. "We're only making sure they stay in line."

"Konoha is supposed to be the most welcoming hidden village. Doesn't seem like it upholds its reputation," Temari said snootily. Kokoro hummed and tapped her fingers against the counter. Naruto chuckled nervously as he looked between the two girls. Kokoro took a deep breath and settled her gaze on Gaara.

"This is the first time you've been to Konoha, right?" she asked. "I can show you around. There's a flower shop around that we can check out. The last time I visited, it seemed like you-"

"No," Gaara interrupted her.

"Oh," she said dejectedly. "Then, how about I show you-"

"Not interested," he said. Kakashi chose that moment to enter the stand with Sasuke. The two newcomers observed the scene and noticed the palpable tension.

"C'mon," Sasuke addressed his teammates without taking his eyes off of the Sand genin, "we're training."

"I'm not finished eating," Naruto complained.

"Like you need to eat any more of that, dobe," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. Kokoro stood and stretched before saddling next to Sasuke.

"I won our last fight," she boasted. "Think you can win the next one?"

Sasuke clenched his fists and said, "You were just lucky."

"Lucky enough to beat you," she said whimsically.

"Neh, Kokoro, can we come back here tonight?" Naruto begged,

"Sorry, Naruto. I'm going out to eat with Shikamaru and Choji tonight," she apologized. Naruto frowned and grumbled under his breath. Then, he lifted a finger in the air and asked, "Do you think Sakura would come with me?"

"No. Now let's go," Sasuke said. He left the stand to wait outside.

"How about we go out to eat tomorrow night," Kokoro suggested.

"Promise?" Naruto asked. Kokoro rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. Gaara noticed the action and glared at the pair. His fists clenched and an intense emotion took over his features. He groaned and clutched his head. Kokoro noticed his distress and recognized what was going on. She stepped towards him and reached out a hand, only for Temaro to slap it away.

"Please stop hurting him," she whispered. Gaara groaned again but got it under control. He glared viciously at Kokoro and Naruto before he ordered Temari and Kankuro to leave with him. Kokoro stared after him helplessly and took a step in the direction they left. Kakashi grabbed her arm and shook his head. She snatched her arm out of his grasp angrily and stomped outside. Naruto and Kakashi followed her, and Team 7 made their way to the training grounds.

\----------------------------------

  
Kokoro gasped for breath after her fight with Sasuke. She was embarrassed to admit that he had beaten her because she was so distracted. Naruto even bested her and had rubbed it in her face for the longest time until Kakashi reminded him that he had only beaten her three times out of all of their fights against each other.

"Alright, gather around," Kakashi said. He gestured for them to sit down as he leaned against a tree. Kokoro slowly stood up and trudged over to the rest of her team. She threw herself on the ground with a huff and looked up at her dad expectantly.

"I have decided to enter the three of you into the Chunin Exams," he informed them. Naruto cheered and Sasuke smirked. "Here are the forms. Fill these out and turn them into the Hokage by the end of the week."

He handed them each a packet of paper and told them they were dismissed for the day. Sasuke and Naruto left while Kokoro was held back by her dad. When they were alone, Kakashi leveled her with a stare.

"What?" she asked.

"You're training with Haku," he stated.

"Yeah, so?" she said tightly.

"Are you planning to use it during the exams?"

"No. I know the rules," she said, "so don't bother reminding me."

"It's for your safety," he relented.

"What can Kiri actually do?" she asked as she threw her hands in the air. "I'm a Konoha genin. They have no entitlement to me."

"You're right. They don't. However, you were born there. They can request your presence and your loyalty," he told her.

"Do you really think I'd turn my back on Konoha?" she asked incredulously.

"No. I just need you to be careful. You haven't exactly gotten used to it, either," he sighed out.

"That's what training is for," she sassed. "I'm going back to the house to get ready for dinner."

"Have fun," Kakashi said as he disappeared in a small tornado of leaves. Kokoro clicked her tongue and shoved her hands in her pockets. The more he told her not to use it, the more she wanted to just to prove him wrong. Was she supposed to hide it her entire life? Naruto and Sasuke already knew, so why couldn't anyone else? Besides, Haku was going to become a Konoha ninja and they didn't expect him to hide his ability. It didn't make sense to her. Honestly, her dad and the Hokage had another thing coming if they thought she was going to abide by their rules for much longer.


	16. Chapter 16

_Dear Gaara,_

_I don’t understand why you hate me so much. I thought you would have read my letters by the time we met again, but I guess I was wrong. I wish I could have been there for you, but I had to go home. Now that you’re here in Konoha, I can finally explain everything. I just want my friend back. Please meet me in front of the Hokage’s building tomorrow after lunch so we can go somewhere to talk in private._

_Kokoro_

* * *

Kokoro looked at the letter on her desk in satisfaction. After reading her letter, he’d have to meet up with her. He’d finally get his answers and she’d finally get her friend back. She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. She wrote his name on the front of it and left the house to deliver it. Fortunately, the last time she was in the Hokage’s office, she had seen the address where Gaara and his team were staying. She didn’t feel bad for peeking at the papers on the Hokage’s desk; if he didn’t want anyone to see them then he shouldn’t have them laying out in the open.

She reached the hotel Gaara was staying at and made her way to the top floor. She slid the envelope under the last door on the left and ran as fast as she could so she wouldn’t get caught. Just as she rounded the corner, the door opened and someone stepped out of the room. She peeked around the corner and saw Gaara holding the letter in his clenched fist. He was staring down the hallway and when his eyes connected with hers, she bolted down the stairs and out of the building.

Thankfully, he didn’t chase after her and she was in the clear. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked in the direction of the training fields. Haku had pushed her training from the morning to the afternoon so he could complete his exam. She had taken the extra time to train with her dad to strengthen the jutsu she already knew. Her father was content with her training and had let her go an hour earlier than planned.

On her way, she saw Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino walking with their jounin instructor, Asuma. She waved and waited for them to walk up to her.

“Hey, Ino. Haven’t seen you in a while,” Kokoro greeted the blonde, blue-eyed girl first. She didn’t have a big problem with Ino. The only thing she disliked about the girl was the fact that she obsessed over Sasuke.

“Kokoro,” Ino greeted her. “How did you get so lucky to be on Sasuke’s team?”

“I know right. I’m so lucky to be on his team,” Kokoro said sarcastically.

“Kokoro,” Asuma greeted her with a smile. “What are you up to?”

“I’m on my way to train with my cousin. Where are the four of you heading off to?” she asked.

“We’re turning in our papers for the Chunin Exams,” Choji said.

“Really? I guess we’ll be enemies then,” Kokoro said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You better watch out, Shika. If I catch you slacking, I’ll take you out.”

“You better hope I don’t catch you first,” Shikamaru said with a smirk.

“Naruto, Sasuke, and I will be able to get the jump on you three,” Kokoro said confidently. “Choji’s crumbs will lead a trail right to you.”

“You don’t even know what we’ll be doing,” Ino said with a flip of her long hair.

“We’ll probably have to fight in some way,” Kokoro said with a shrug. “Anyway, I should probably get going. Haku will surely punish me if I’m not on time.”

“The next time you see your dad, tell him everyone’s meeting up at the bar tonight,” Asuma said as she walked away. She waved her hand to let him know she heard him and picked up her pace. When she got to the training field, Haku dropped down from a tree and approached her.

“How did the exam go?” she asked eagerly.

“I passed. I am now a chunin of Konoha,” Haku said with a small smile. His smile turned sad and he gazed at the sky. “I only wish Zabuza could be here.”

Kokoro placed a comforting hand on Haku’s shoulder and pulled him into a hug.

“He would be proud,” she insisted. Haku pulled back and wiped under his eyes to get rid of a few stray tears. He sat on the ground motioned for her to get into position to start.

“Wait!” she shouted when she remembered she wanted to ask him something. “Did the Hokage restrict you from using your kekkei genkai?”

Haku shook his head and said, “On the contrary, he believes it will benefit Konoha greatly. I spoke to the Hokage about your situation. He wants you to use your kekkei genkai but only when you are strong enough to defend yourself. He worries about your safety.”

Kokoro pouted and said, “I’m strong enough to defend myself.”

“There are people who covet kekkei genkai. I understand why the Hokage is wary,” Haku said. “Until then, he wants you to continue your training with me.”

When Kokoro tried to complain, Haku dismissed her and ordered her to make a star. She sighed exasperatedly and did as she was told. Unfortunately, she was distracted and wasn’t doing so well. Her thoughts were clouded with thoughts of disdain towards the Hokage. Sasuke had his Sharingan and was allowed to use it as he pleased. Surely there were those who wanted the Sharingan.

She shrieked when ice engulfed her entire body, leaving only her head uncovered. She shivered and glared at her cousin. When he returned the glare with a burning intensity, she shrunk in on herself and averted her eyes.

“I refuse to teach someone who isn’t willing to concentrate,” Haku said in a deadly tone. “Either clear your mind or leave.”

He unsheathed her from her ice prison and turned his back on her. Kokoro breathed heavily and clenched her fists. How could she let it go? She wanted to show everyone that she was strong; that she could protect Konoha, too. She had heard the whispers surrounding her and her family; the negative legacy her grandfather had was passed down and affected even her. She didn’t want anyone to think she wasn’t capable to stay strong, so she trained, she observed, she learned as much as she could to become great like her father, to prove them wrong.

But she couldn’t prove them wrong if she didn’t have a teacher to help her along the way. She unclenched her fists and stared at the small, red, moon-shaped marks on her palms. She bit her lip and looked at Haku regretfully.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I appreciate your help, Haku. I’m conflicted right now and I let it get in the way of my training.”

Haku smiled and breathed out through his nose.

“Remember: Shinobi must not let their emotions cloud their judgment. You won’t have time to make mistakes in battle,” he said.

“I know,” she said dejectedly. With her eyes downcast, she scuffled her feet and frowned.

“Concentrate for now. We’ll talk afterward,” Haku told her. And they did. As soon as Kokoro was done with her training, Haku invited her out to a restaurant that specialized in tea and dessert. It didn’t take long for Haku to understand her inner conflict and he reassured her that she was already doing well at a young age. She gave him a fake smile in response and was quiet the rest of their time there. Haku picked up on her mood and provided small talk to cover up the uncomfortable silence. He’d have to talk to Kakashi later.

The next day, Kokoro walked to the Hokage’s building with the rest of her team. They still had to turn in their forms for the exams. The only reason they had to wait so long was that Naruto lost his and had to search for it in his messy apartment. Kakashi was walking a few steps behind the genin, letting them lead the way. Kokoro was in the middle of the blond and ravenette. She acted as a barrier between their argumentative words.

“Sasuke!” Naruto yelled after a particularly scathing comment. Kokoro shoved her hand in Naruto’s face to stop him from attacking Sasuke and sent the Uchiha a glare.

“Stop instigating,” she reprimanded him. He scoffed and turned his head.

“It’s not my fault he’s such an idiot,” Sasuke said. She rolled her eyes but perked up when the Hokage’s building came into view. She was ready to meet up with Gaara, and she was giddy just thinking about it. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she walked. She walked in first and was quick to ascend the stairs to the Hokage’s office. She greeted the secretary at the desk with a smile and took a seat in the small waiting room.

“Why are you so excited?” Sasuke grumbled as he took the seat next to her.

“I’m meeting up with Gaara today,” she said easily. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and set his mouth into a thin line.

“I thought I told you not to talk to him,” Sasuke said.

“No,” Kokoro said with gritted teeth, “you said not to let my friendship with him get in the way of the exams. And I’m not. Besides, you’re not the boss of me.”

“You’re jeopardizing our exams,” he accused.

“We don’t even know how we’ll be tested!” she raised her voice. “For all we know, we’ll have to team up with others. Gaara is strong. He’d be a great partner.”

“And if we have to face him?”

“Then I’ll be ready to do so,” she answered confidently. “You should worry about our Konoha competition. There are some formidable opponents entering this year.”

“What do you know?” Sasuke demanded.

“Gai’s team is entering this year and so is Shikamaru’s team. As far as I know, Kiba’s team is entering, too.”

“Gai? Who’s Gai?” he asked, confused.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said with a shake of her head. “He has a talented group of students that I know will give us trouble.”

“Kokoro is right,” Kakashi spoke up. “The competition is strong this year. You’ll have to be smart about everything you do. Understand, Naruto?”

Kokoro shielded her mouth from view and snickered into her hands. Sasuke smirked and gave Naruto a smug look.

“Hey! Why’d you single me out?” Naruto asked incredulously.

“Don’t take it personally, Naruto,” Kakashi said condescendingly. “It’s just a reminder.”

Someone stepped out of the Hokage’s office and the secretary ushered in Team 7. The Hokage was sitting behind his desk, as usual, with a pipe in his mouth. He welcomed them pleasantly when they stepped into the room.

“I assume you are here to turn in your Chunin Exam forms,” the Hokage said.

“I’m gonna pass the exams no sweat, Jiji!” Naruto exclaimed. He jabbed a thumb into his chest and grinned with his eyes closed. Kakashi hit him over the head and muttered something about being too loud. He gathered the genins’ forms and placed them in a pile on the Hokage’s desk. The Hokage rifled through them before he put them down with a satisfied expression.

“I’m sure you will, Naruto,” the Hokage said with an amused gleam in his eyes. “Good luck to you all. I will be watching.”

They left soon thereafter when they were dismissed. As soon as Kokoro was outside, she spotted Gaara walking up to the building. She smiled and waved but faltered when she noticed he was accompanied by his siblings and a man who must have been their jounin instructor.

“Hey, Gaara,” she greeted him as he walked closer to her. As an afterthought, she greeted Temari, Kankuro, and their instructor. They glanced at her but otherwise ignored her. She pursed her lips and glanced down at the ground. She was so sure Gaara would meet up with her, but she surmised she was wrong. She remembered the advice Haku had given her before and took a deep breath. She forced a smile on her face and tried again.

“Did you get my letter?” she asked hopefully. “I want to explain-”

“I don’t care,” Gaara rasped out. Kokoro winced but refused to back down.

“I understand we aren’t on great terms, but-”

“I have better things to do,” he said shortly. He was clearly irritated, but Kokoro continued to push. She didn’t know if she would get another chance to talk to him.

“We don’t have to talk! We can-”

“Get out of my way or I’ll kill you!” he raised his voice. His eyes were set in a menacing glare and his nostrils flared slightly. She took a step back and curled in on herself. She was reminded of the time he lashed out at her. She understood he was angry, but she was hurt by his actions.

“You can’t talk to her like that!” Naruto yelled defensively. Trying to diffuse the situation, Kakashi threw his arm around Kokoro in a comforting and protective gesture and gave Gaara an eye smile faker than plastic.

“Maa, there’s no need for such words. I’m sure we can all get along,” he said. He opened his eyes and they hardened instantly. He was giving the redhead a warning.

“Of course,” the jounin instructor said. “Gaara means no harm.”

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and shrugged.

“Let’s move along then,” he said, giving Kokoro a push in the opposite direction. Sasuke and Naruto saddled up against Kokoro with frowns on their faces directed at the Sand shinobi. Gaara eyed them before he turned around and continued his trek to the Hokage’s office. Kokoro watched him leave with a sinking feeling in her gut.

“You should give up on him,” Kankuro said, gaining her attention. “He isn’t like how he was when you visited Suna, and he never will be like that again.”

“Don’t get yourself hurt,” Temari added.

* * *

“Dad, do you think I should give up on Gaara?” Kokoro asked. She was sitting at the small table in their house with Kakashi. He glanced up from his book and raised an eyebrow. He saw the conflict on her face and sighed before he put the orange item down.

“Do you want to give up on him?” he asked.

“No,” she said quietly. “But he doesn’t seem to want to be my friend anymore. I don’t think he cares.”

“Did you try your best to befriend him again? Have you done everything you could?” he asked.

“I believe so,” she answered truthfully. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Then, maybe it’s best to stop chasing him.”

She looked up at him in surprise and said, “But what about the motto?”

“There are exceptions to everything, Koko. Not everything is meant to be mindlessly followed,” he explained.

“I don’t want to give up on him though,” she muttered.

“Then don’t,” he replied as he picked his book back up. “Let him come to you this time. If he really wants your friendship, he’ll talk to you.”

She nodded her head and finished her food. She announced her retirement to bed and searched for a pen and a piece of paper once she was in her room. She sat down at her desk and began writing her final letter to Gaara.

* * *

_Dear Gaara,_

_I don’t know why you won’t allow me to explain my actions. I don’t understand why we can’t be friends again like we used to be. Even so, I have decided to stop bothering you. I’ll wait for you to be comfortable enough to talk to me. I’m not giving up on you and I’ll always be here to talk when you’re ready._

_I cherish your friendship, Gaara. I hope one day we can talk as friends again._

_Kokoro_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Chunin Exams arc starts next chapter! I’m so excited to get it going! There will be some changes so please look forward to it!


	17. Chapter 17

Kakashi met Kokoro, Sasuke, and Naruto outside the academy building the day of the Chunin Exams. He was leaning against a pole nearby and straightened once they arrived. Naruto was walking giddily while Sasuke and Kokoro walked calmly. Naruto startled when he realized Kakashi was there before they were.

"You're actually on time?!" he asked in shock.

"It's a big day for you three," Kakashi shrugged.

"I'm just glad you took my threat to heart, dad," Kokoro said sweetly. Kakashi sweatdropped and chuckled uneasily.

"Yes, well, nothing unusual crossed my path today," he said.

"Like anything actually does," Naruto muttered.

"I wanted to wish the three of you good luck. You'll do great. I wouldn't have entered you in the exams if I thought otherwise," Kakashi admitted. Kokoro smiled and hugged him. Naruto joined in and dragged Sasuke with him.

"Thanks for the boost of confidence," she mumbled against his chest. He waved them off and pushed them towards the front doors.

"Get going before you're late," he said before he disappeared in a pile of leaves. After walking up the steps of the academy building and getting past an elaborate genjutsu that Sasuke had to point out, Kokoro, Naruto, and Sasuke entered the waiting room. It was filled with genin from all over the shinobi nations staring directly at them and held a tense atmosphere that set Kokoro on edge. She glanced around, trying to find familiar faces, and landed on a certain redhead with a bad attitude. He made eye contact with her and dismissed her promptly. She huffed and looked away. She spotted Shikamaru, Choji, and the rest of her graduating class and made her way to them.

"Sasuke, where have you been?" Ino asked as she launched herself at him. He grimaced as she latched into his back and glared at her. "I've missed those brooding good looks of yours."

"Lay off him, will ya?" Kokoro said as she pulled Ino off her teammate. "I need him in good condition for the exams."

"Oh, it's you guys," Shikamaru said as he approached with Choji. "I knew this was gonna be a drag, but I didn't know it was gonna be this lame."

"Stop being such a downer, Shika," Kokoro said as she slapped him hard on the back. He flinched under the weight and leveled her with a hard stare. Then he smirked and let out a huff.

"This should be interesting," he said.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like the whole gang's back together," Kiba said as he approached with Hinata and Shino. Kokoro greeted them and hung back as the group started talking loudly with one another. Her eyes drifted around her and noticed the others in the room glaring daggers into them. She shifted in her spot and cleared her throat, trying to garner their attention. When it didn't work, she growled impatiently and smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he shouted. The rest of the Konoha rookies stared at her curiously and she made a motion with her head as she clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth.

"You're being too loud. Everyone's glaring at us," she told them.

"She's right. You might want to try keeping it down a little."

A genin who looked a few years older than the rookies walked up to them with a frown on his face. He had gray hair pulled down into a low ponytail and bangs held up by his Konoha headband. Round glasses adorned his face and sat in front of a pair of dark eyes.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Yakushi Kabuto," Kabuto answered swiftly. "You've made quite the impression."

The rookies, minus Kokoro, looked around and paled at the looks they were getting. As Kabuto talked to them, she took the time to analyze his character. There was something off about him. Why would he speak to rookies and help them out? He had to have an ulterior motive. It could be that he was being generous and helping out fellow Konoha genin, but no other genin from their village had tried helping them. Not even Team Gai, who stood off to the side and watched the whole debacle go down. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard something that shocked her.

"It's my seventh time taking the exams," Kabuto disclosed.

"Seventh?" she asked incredulously. "How have you not passed yet?"

"Well, they're held twice a year, so this is my fourth year. The exams are more difficult than you think."

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed. "So you're like a veteran. You can give us all the inside tips."

"Some expert. He's never passed," Shikamaru mumbled. Kokoro silently agreed with him. If he knew all the ins and outs of the exam, then he would have passed them already and graduated to a chunin status.

"Well, seventh time's the charm, right?" Kabuto asked sheepishly. "But don't give up hope yet. Maybe I can help you with these Ninja Info Cards."

He fanned out a pile of cards in his hand and the rookies huddled around him. Kokoro was curious as well and squished herself between Choji and Shino.

"These cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned these past our years," Kabuto explained. "I've got more than 200 of them."

"Do those cards of yours have information on individual candidates?" Sasuke asked.

"They might. You have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked slyly. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at his tone but let Sasuke be. If Kabuto was willing to supply information, she would take it. Anything could help them.

"Gaara no Suna," Sasuke said quickly. Kokoro's eyes shifted to his form and he made eye contact with her.

"That's no fun," Kabuto said. "You already know his name. That makes it easy."

Kabuto made a show of swiping through his deck and pulling out a single card. He placed it on the ground and infused his chakra into it, revealing the information present on it. A current picture of Gaara popped up on the card, along with his stats and his teammates.

"Mission experience, eight C ranks, and - get this - one B rank as a genin. There's not a lot more information on this guy, but there is this. He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him," Kabuto said.

"The dude's done a B rank as a genin and has never been injured?" Shikamaru asked.

"What's the deal with this guy? You sure do make weird friends, Kokoro," Naruto told her. She whacked him on the back of his head for his comment but didn't say anything. She was absorbed in something else. How did Kabuto get this information on Gaara if it was Gaara's first time in the Chunin exams? How did a Konoha genin have information on a Sunagakure genin? Kabuto pulled out another card and showed a map of the shinobi nations.

"Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Kusa, Taki, Oto. From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exam this time around. Of course, Otogakure is small," Kabuto mused. "It sprang up recently. No one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery." He put his card away. "Well, you get the point. The competition will be intense this year."

"It kind of makes you lose your confidence," Hinata said quietly.

"It's a fine time to start talking like that!" Ino shouted.

"Do you really think it's going to be tougher this year?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, yeah," Kabuto affirmed. "In the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this bunch."

Suddenly, Naruto growled and started shaking. He clenched his hands and bowed his head. Kokoro placed a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off. He swiveled in his spot and pointed a finger at the crowd of genin watching them. He screamed and posed with a smile on his face and a hand on his hip.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he exclaimed. "And I'm going to beat every single one of you! Believe it!"

"What's that idiot trying to do, get us killed?" Ino asked angrily. Kokoro facepalmed and snatched the back of his orange jacket. She pulled him back and let go, causing him to stumble backward. She grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him close to her face.

"Listen Naruto. I understand you're very excited to prove your worth to every shinobi in this room, but now is not the time to declare that you will beat everyone," she said exasperatedly. "Please don't bring any unwanted attention to us, just this once."

Even if he lightened the mood of their friends, he was being too careless. Announcing something like that was bound to bring a stronger target to their back. They would already be targeted for their young age and naivety of the exams.

"Can you say that again?" Kiba snickered. "I didn't quite catch it."

"You moron. Are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts, or what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto muttered. Out of nowhere, the Oto genin attacked Kabuto, throwing two kunai at his feet. Kabuto dodged out of the way and slid backward. One appeared in front of him and swung his fist, missing Kabuto's face by an inch. Kabuto smirked at his miss but gasped when his glasses cracked.

"Oh, I get it," Kabuto said as he took off his glasses. "It was one of those attacks."

"Hang on, I saw it all. He dodged the attack," Sasuke butt in. "How did that happen?"

"It must have come closer than it looked," Shikamaru said. "Look at him acting like nothing happened. Real tough guy."

Kabuto gasped and started shaking. He fell to his knees and threw up on the floor. Kokoro took an automatic step back and looked on in disgust. Naruto ran to his aid and asked him if he was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kabuto answered. He lifted his head and stared at the Oto genin.

"Not such a tough guy, after all, I guess," the Oto genin said mockingly. "Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try."

"Write this on your little card, punk," the other genin said. "The genin from Otogakure will be chunin when this is over. Guaranteed."

The atmosphere was tense after their attack and no one moved in fear of starting something else. Thankfully, a puff of smoke appeared in the front of the room and a jounin appeared.

"All right, you baby face degenerates. Pipe down and listen up. I'm Morino Ibiki and I'll be proctoring your first test."

* * *

A written exam. That was their first test. Kokoro sat away from Naruto and Sasuke. She was seated in the back row and had a good view of her teammates. While Naruto looked like he was nervous and sweating bullets, Sasuke was greedily writing down his answers. She sighed and glanced down at her paper in distaste.

No doubt, Sasuke was using his Sharingan to cheat. The whole purpose of the test was to see if they could get the answers to the questions without getting caught cheating. If you were caught cheating three times, your whole team was eliminated. The teams with the most points at the end would advance to the next round. Without a way to cheat, Kokoro was stuck using prior knowledge to answer the questions. She wasn't going to risk blatant cheating, so she resigned to doing the best she could. Luckily, she had an inkling as to what the answers were and was confident she scored enough points for her team to advance.

In her peripheral, she saw Kankuro reenter the room. Ibiki, the jounin proctoring the exam spoke up once he came back.

"Now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, it's time for the main event," he said. "Here's the 10th and final question. Before I give you the question, here are some rules that you need to be aware of. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you. Rule number one: Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."

Kokoro faltered in her seat. The tenth question was worth more than any of the other questions. If she got it right, she'd boost the team's score. Why wouldn't she answer it? There had to be some catch.

"Let's say we decide we don't want to do it," Temari said from her seat. "What's the catch?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero on your exam. In other words, you fail, and so do your teammates," Ibiki said evilly. He grinned, causing the scars across his face to stretch. There was whispering as the genin in the room panicked.

"You didn't let me finish," Ibiki said. "If you do accept the question and answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail, you will be barred from taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"

"That's bull, man!" Kiba shouted out. "What kind of bogus rule is that? There's lots of people here who've taken the exam before!"

Ibiki laughed and said, "I guess you're just unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you aren't feeling confident, then, by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year." He chuckled at the silence that ensued due to his words. "Now, if you're ready, the tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and you will be free to go."

Kokoro debated with herself internally. If she didn't take the final question, she would let down her entire team. But if she would still let her team down if she took it and answered it wrongly. She bit her lip as genin raised their hands and dropped out of the exams. Ibiki threatened that this would be their last chance at becoming a chunin if they failed the question. She didn't have a way to cheat and get the answer correct. It was a lot of pressure.

But there was no way he could barre them from taking the exams again. The only person who had that kind of power was the Hokage. He had to be bluffing. He _had _to be! She nodded her head to herself and leaned back on her chair. She'd stick with her intuition and stay in her seat. Her eyes flitted towards her teammates and she groaned. Sasuke was fine - she knew he would be - but Naruto was practically shaking in his seat. His hand was raised halfway and she had half a mind to run down there and yank it down.

He slammed his hand flat against the desk and yelled, "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You aren't scaring me off. I don't care if I do get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life. I'll still be Hokage someday!"

He sat down in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. Kokoro sighed in relief and congratulated Naruto in her head for not giving in. Unfortunately, Naruto had no chance of getting the question correct, but the fact that he was willing to go for it anyway showed his strength and resilience.

"If for any reason you'd rather quit, now's your last chance," Ibiki challenged.

"No way. I never go back on my word," Naruto said confidently. "That's the way of the ninja."

Ibiki glanced around the room, taking note of the number of people still left, and nodded.

"For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do," he said ominously. Kokoro leaned forward in her seat. "And that's for me to tell you that you've all passed the exam."

Kokoro sagged in her seat. She did it! She passed the first part of the Chunin Exams. She was so relieved, she didn't care why he had tricked them. It was a dirty tactic, but she hadn't fallen for it.

"There was no tenth question?" Ino questioned.

"Not a written one, at least," Ibiki said. "Your decision to stay was the answer."

"So the other nine questions you gave us was just a waste of our time?" Temari shouted.

"No, not at all. The first nine questions had a purpose - to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances," he explained. "My objective was to test you, not only as individuals, but as a team, and how well you function as part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so you'd know that everything you did or failed to do, would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure.

The first nine questions on the test were difficult, too difficult for any genin to solve. I imagine that many of you quickly realized that you needed to cheat to pass. The test was designed to encourage cheating. I disguised two chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you. Those who were caught cheating failed. Better not to cheat than cheat clumsily." He untied his bandana and took it off, revealing a bald, very scarred head. It was filled with scars, puncture wounds, and burn marks. Kokoro gasped silently and cringed at the sight.

"Information," he continued. "It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission's a failure or a success. There will be times you will have to risk your life to get it. Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind. Congratulations on passing the first test and good luck."

Naruto cheered in his seat, causing a smile to crawl onto Kokoro's lips. He always knew how to remain positive. Unexpectedly, a ball of brown cloth burst through the window and revealed a woman with purple hair.

"Is this part of the test?!" Naruto yelled.

"Heads up, boys and girls. There's no time for celebrating. I'll be your next proctor, Mitarashi Anko. You ready for the second test?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating last week. I've been in this bad stump lately and really depressed. I wasn't going to write up this chapter, but I decided to knock it out and give you an update. I didn't remember I really liked writing for this story until I started up again. I hope you like Kokoro's character design and her outfit. I worked hard on it, and I know it's not the best, but I tried. 
> 
> Link to her character design and her outfit (scroll down to the end of the chapter): https://www.wattpad.com/924042622-an-unexpected-friend-chapter-17 
> 
> Thanks for all the support! You all are the best!


	18. Chapter 18

For the second part of their test, they were led to the outskirts of a huge forest. There was a long, wired fence surrounding it and creeped Kokoro out to look at it. Whatever was in that forest would not be her friend. Standing with Sasuke and Naruto, she glanced around, looking for a certain red-head and his siblings. They were standing together a few feet away and Gaara caught her gaze when she settled on his form. His eyes narrowed and he looked away. She sighed, catching Sasuke's attention.

"What is it?" he demanded. She shook her head and waved him off, not wanting to deal with the attitude she knew was to come.

"This place is called The Forest of Death. You'll understand why soon," Anko announced. Naruto mocked her and said he wasn't scared of the challenge. Anko took that as a challenge and pulled a kunai from her sleeve. She threw it and it landed on the ground a few feet behind Naruto after grazing his left cheek. A trail of blood slid down his cheek as Anko disappeared and reappeared behind him. A Kusa genin picked the kunai up with her tongue and held it out for Anko to take. Kokoro cringed at the movement and the aura radiating from the genin. She took note to refrain from crossing paths with her.

"Before we start the exam, you'll each have to sign a consent form," Anko said as she walked back in front of the crowd. "From here on out, corpses are going to come out, and I have to get your consent for that so I won't be responsible."

She handed the stack of papers to Naruto, who took one and passed it along.

"Training Field 44 is surrounded by 44 locked entrance gates and is comprised of a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle approximately ten kilometers from the gates. During the second exam, each team will either receive a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. Since there are 26 teams, thirteen teams will get a Heaven scroll and thirteen teams will get an Earth scroll. It is your job to bring both a Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll to the tower in the center," Anko explained.

"So half of the teams will be eliminated by the end of the second round," Kokoro surmised.

"Not exactly," Anko said. "You have to complete your task within the time limit. You have 120 hours, or five days, to complete your task. If all three members of your team can't make it to the tower within the time limit with both scrolls, you will be disqualified. If a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated, you will be disqualified. If you look at the scrolls before you reach the tower, you will be disqualified. Do I make myself clear?

This is a test of your reliability. Once you sign your forms, you may pick up your scroll and stand by an entrance gate. The gates will open simultaneously once everyone is ready. A friendly word of advice: Don't die!"

* * *

"I know the both of you think we can handle whoever comes our way, but we have to be smart about this," Kokoro said. They were walking through the forest, listening for anyone who may be near or ready to attack them. She was holding the scroll.

"Let whoever come!" Naruto said. "I can take them!"

"Keep your voice down, idiot," Sasuke hissed. "Besides, you can barely take on me and Kokoro. What makes you think you can handle anyone else?"

"Don't start," Kokoro warned. "We need to focus and arguing in the middle of a forest filled with our enemies is the last thing we need to do."

A scream echoed throughout the air and they stopped in shock.

"I-It was nothing, dattebayo!" Naruto said, trying to convince his teammates and himself. Then he turned in his heels and announced he had to pee. He started unzipping his zipper when Kokoro scoffed and told him to pee away from them. He walked into the bushes and came back a few minutes later.

"Ah, that was refreshing!" he said as he scratched his head.

Kokoro rolled her eyes and said, "Well, let's get going. We only have five days to get another scroll and arrive at the tower. It'll be beneficial to finish within the first three days."

Suddenly, Sasuke attacked Naruto, kicking him so hard he fell against a tree. Kokoro stared in shock at his actions and questioned him with her eyes.

"W-What was that for?" Naruto asked right before Sasuke attacked him again. "What are you doing?!"

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and continued attacking Naruto, refusing to give up, while Naruto defended himself with a kunai. Kokoro wanted to step in, but she didn't know how much help she'd be. Plus, she wanted to figure out why Sasuke was attacking him. There had to be a reason. From the sidelines, she studied Naruto's form and realized he wasn't moving like he usually did. He was more precise and faster than he'd ever been. Where did he get his new moves? And why was he using his left hand when he was right-handed?

"Look closely!" Sasuke shouted at her. Then, he addressed Naruto and said, "Where'd the scratch on your cheek go?"

Kokoro's eyes widened as she finally understood what Sasuke was implying. The person in front of them was an imposter! She pulled out a kunai from her pocket and held it up defensively.

"Where's the real Naruto?" she questioned. A puff of smoke encased 'Naruto' and a genin from Ame appeared in his place.

"You caught me," he said. "Now, which one of you has the scroll? If you follow my orders, I'll spare your lives."

When Sasuke and Kokoro refused to speak, the genin charged them and engaged them in a fight. Sasuke jumped into the air and performed a fire-style jutsu while Kokoro dodged out of the way. The Ame genin dodged Sasuke's attack and met him in the air, clanging his kunai against Sasuke's. Kokoro ran to meet the genin as soon as he touched back on the ground. She charged him and swung her kunai, just missing his skin.

"Hey, over here!"

The shout drew her attention away from the genin and to Naruto, who had his arms and feet bound. Sasuke threw him a kunai to get himself out of the binding. While she was distracted, the genin swung at her. She leaned to the right and continued dodging his punches. She timed his punches and grabbed his left fist. She threw him over her shoulder and sent a kick to his midriff. He recovered quickly and threw a barrage of kunai at her. She flipped back and jumped between trees to get out of their trajectory.

With Kokoro out of the way, the Ame genin focused on Sasuke. He threw a paper bomb attached to a kunai at Sasuke, who dropped down to the ground after being hit by it. The genin stood behind Sasuke and held a kunai to his throat. Finally, Naruto freed himself and joined the fight. He threw a kunai at the genin and jumped down beside Sasuke.

"I won't let you get away!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You're always late, Naruto," Sasuke complained. He activated his Sharingan and threw a kunai with his foot using a chakra absorption trick. He followed the kunai's trajectory, plowing into the Ame genin and stabbing him in the chest. Sasuke pulled the kunai out and the genin ran away. Sasuke tried pursuing him, but Kokoro placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"It's not worth it. He most likely doesn't have his team's scroll. We'd only be wasting energy."

He sighed in resignation and backed down. He motioned for Naruto and Kokoro to sit down on the ground next to him. Once they sat down, Sasuke began talking.

"We need to decide on a password in case we get separated again," he said. "If the password is incorrect, no matter what, presume they are the enemy."

"Password?" Naruto asked.

"I'll only say it once, so pay attention. You asl, Ninja Song, "Ninja Chance." And the answer is this: The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a Shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard. That's it."

"Could you say it again?" Naruto asked.

"I told you I'd only say it once. Could it be you couldn't memorize it?" Sasuke taunted him.

"It is a bit lengthy," Kokoro mused. "I understand why but you'll have to forgive me if I don't repeat it word for word."

"Well, I-I memorized it perfectly," Naruto said, unsure.

"I'm sure you did," Kokoro muttered as she stood up and stretched.

"I'll hold the scroll," Sasuke said. His hand was outstretched.

"Hey, wait Sasuke," Naruto said. He stopped when something hit him on the cheek. He turned in the direction the object came and stared. A burst of wind came rushing at them and they shielded their face with their arms. They tried to stand their ground, but they were blown away in different directions. Kokoro hit a tree with a loud thud and sagged against the ground. She grabbed her head in her hands and groaned. Noticing she was alone, she glanced around frantically.

The bushes to her left rustled and she immediately stood up to defend herself. A kunai whizzed past and deflected off her arm guards. She stared intensely in one direction, not noticing the person creeping up behind her. At the last second, she sensed them and jumped away just as they tried to grab her. She landed on a high branch and assessed the person. It was a male wearing a black poncho. From out of the bushes, another man made his entrance. This one was bald. Both had a thick, purple rope tied around their body.

They were Kusa genin.

Kokoro bit her lip as she thought of a way out of her situation. Two versus one was not in her favor and she had no idea where her teammates were or if they were okay. She didn't know if they would follow her or if they would let her run away. Judging by the blood-thirsty looks on their faces, she figured she'd have to fight her way out. The worst part was she still had the scroll. She couldn't let them take it. It'd be impossible to collect two scrolls!

One of the Kusa genin shifted in her peripherals and she jumped away on instinct. That was the wrong move as the other one met her mid-air and kicked her down to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees and stood back up. She jumped back, creating distance between her and the two genin. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out five shuriken. With her hand behind her back, she started running away. They pursued her immediately.

Looking over her shoulder, she threw the shuriken at them. They dodged them and the bald genin ran up a tree so he was running above her. She cursed and analyzed her surrounding area. Up ahead to her right was a river. A plan developed in her mind and she changed her running course. Once she reached the river, she hid behind a tree and quickly went through the hand signs for her water clones. She produced two and sent one of them out.

The water clone stood in front of them confidently and attacked the genin with the poncho. Kokoro sent out her second water clone when the bald genin attacked her first clone. With her clones engaged with the two Kusa genin, she snuck behind the bald one and attacked. She kicked him forward, catching him off guard. He got up and his face met the bottom of her shoe. Her water clone used a flurry of moves to keep him on his toes while Kokoro slipped out a kunai. She threw it straight through her water clone and it embedded itself in the genin's heart.

Without thinking about what she did, she gave her attention to the genin in the poncho. He struck her water clone and caused it to puddle at his feet. He smirked at her and performed an Earth jutsu, causing the ground around her to shake. She stumbled and held onto a tree trunk to stabilize herself. She cursed her dad out in her head for not teaching her any lightning jutsus and ducked to avoid a shuriken to the face. She ran up a tree, trying to gain an advantage, and ran through a series of hand signs. She gathered chakra in her body and spit out several water projectiles. **[1]**

The Kusa genin dodged them and disappeared. He reappeared behind her and grabbed her to throw her against another tree. Before she made contact with the next tree, the Kusa genin grabbed her again and threw her to the ground. She landed in the river, her head smacking against a huge boulder sitting on the edge of the river. She floated to the surface disoriented and dizzy. She tried getting up, but the Kusa genin grabbed her by the throat and dunked her head under the water. She clawed at his hands as dark spots clouded her eyesight.

As a last resort, she gathered chakra and blasted water from her mouth. **[2]** It hit the Kusa genin in the face so hard he flew back. Kokoro climbed out of the water and gasped for breath. Her hair clung to her skin uncomfortably and her clothes weighed her down. Through the strands of her hair, she saw the Kusa genin stand up and walk towards her. Her breath was labored and she had used far too much chakra than she should have. His sandals entered her vision and she felt him grab the back of her clothes and haul her up to face him.

"Such a shame," he grinned evilly. Discreetly, she pulled out a paper bomb from under the ribbon of her belt and slapped it on his neck. He dropped her in shock and shouted right as the paper bomb went off. The area around her quieted as she laid pathetically against the grass. As soon as she caught her breath, she sat up and checked to see if the scroll was still with her. Thankfully, it was. She stood up sluggishly and teetered to the left when she tried to walk straight. She shook her head and coughed harshly, jostling her irritated throat.

_I have to get to Sasuke and Naruto,_ she thought as she slowly walked forward. _I can't let them down._

She took five steps before she fell and landed on her side. She tried to keep her eyes open, but they refused to stay open. As darkness crept into her vision, she prayed Sasuke and Naruto would be okay until she found them again.

**[1] - Water Release: Gunshot**

**[2] - Water Release: Wild Water Wave**

**I'm trying not to make too many chapters with the Chunin Exams because I really want to get to the good stuff (lol) but I don't want to cut too much out. I went a little rogue with this chapter just because in the episode, Sakura doesn't do much. No hate to her. I feel like Kishimoto focused so much on Naruto and Sasuke that he forgot to have Sakura do stuff. Anyway, I have this really cool idea for a new Naruto story! I won't be posting any new Naruto story until this one is done (which might take a while/hopefully by the end of the year or by next summer). I'll let you know more about it later :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] - Water Release: Gunshot
> 
> [2] - Water Release: Wild Water Wave
> 
> I'm trying not to make too many chapters with the Chunin Exams because I really want to get to the good stuff (lol) but I don't want to cut too much out. I went a little rogue with this chapter just because in the episode, Sakura doesn't do much. No hate to her. I feel like Kishimoto focused so much on Naruto and Sasuke that he forgot to have Sakura do stuff. Anyway, I have this really cool idea for a new Naruto story! I won't be posting any new Naruto story until this one is done (which might take a while/hopefully by the end of the year or by next summer). I'll let you know more about it later :)


	19. Chapter 19

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino were jumping across tree branches when Kiba stopped them. He held out a hand to the side and stopped on a tree branch, waiting for his teammates to catch up. Once they landed on the same branch, he asked, “We’re being careful not to run into any enemies, right? Then Hinata, can you see one kilometer in that direction?”

“I’ll have a look,” she said. She activated her Byakugan, her kekkei genkai that gives her a near-360 degree field of vision and allows her to see chakra. Veins bulged around her lavender eyes as she focused on her target.

“T-there’s someone there,” Hinata announced.

Shino placed his ear to the tree branch and said, “Evidently, there are seven people.”

“Okay, let’s go look!” Kiba exclaimed.

“What are you saying? We’re not doing that,” Shino said.

“The proctor said to bring one of each Heaven and Earth scroll in a pair. She didn’t say not to take more than that. If we take more, that means some other teams will be left out,” Kiba said. Hinata interrupted him, but he talked over her. “We’ll just see what’s going on at first. If it looks too dangerous, we won’t battle for no reason.”

They went off in the direction of the other teams, but Shino stopped them abruptly.

“My bugs sense a familiar chakra nearby,” he said. Hinata activated her Byakugan and spotted a certain silver-haired shinobi. She gasped and told them who she found.

“We should help her,” Hinata said worriedly. Kiba debated for a few seconds before he caved in. He motioned for Hinata to lead them and followed after her with Shino. A few hundred feet to their right, Kokoro was just waking up. She groaned and slowly sat up, gripping her head with one hand and looking around at her surroundings. The sun hurt her eyes and she closed them tightly to readjust them. With a start, she remembered what happened and stood up. She stumbled a bit and used a tree to keep herself upright. She stiffened when she heard movement coming her way.

Hinata appeared first, followed by Kiba and Shino. Kokoro breathed out a sigh of relief and sagged in on herself. She allowed her body to drag against the tree trunk until her bottom hit the ground.

“Hey,” Kokoro greeted lamely. “How has your time in the Forest of Death been?”

“Not as bad as yours I’m guessing,” Kiba smirked. It dropped from his face a moment later and he approached her. “Where’s Naruto and Sasuke? Don’t tell me they...”

“I don’t know. We got separated,” she admitted. “We were hit with this powerful wind jutsu and flew off in different directions.”

“You fought someone. How do I know? Your chakra isn’t as full as it should be,” Shino pointed out.

“I fought two genin by myself. They were...stronger than I expected them to be,” she said. “I used too much of my chakra and passed out here.”

“Will you be okay by yourself?” Hinata asked shyly. “Maybe we could help you find them.”

Kokoro waved her off and stood up with Shino’s and Kiba’s help. She glanced around and tried to pinpoint the area she came from. Her eyes zeroed in on a shuriken stuck in a tree trunk and concluded that was the direction she needed to go in.

“I’ll only slow you down,” she said.

“At least walk with us a little of the way,” Hinata said. “You can barely stand up.”

“Alright,” Kokoro conceded. “By the way, do you happen to have any food, something that will help me replenish my chakra levels. The rest helped, but they aren’t as high as I need them to be.”

Kiba dug into his pockets and pulled out an energy bar he was saving for later. He looked at it reluctantly and held it out for her with a scowl. Akamaru, Kiba’s ninken, whimpered quietly, and Kokoro petted his head a few times to reassure him.

“Here,” he said. “I was gonna eat it later, but I probably won’t need it as much as you.”

Kokoro’s eyes widened at the implication and she asked, “Do you have two scrolls?”

The three of them looked at each other warily before Hinata nodded hesitantly.

“Lucky,” Kokoro said, deflated. She opened the energy bar and ate it quickly. She shrugged Kiba and Shino off and stretched thoroughly before she was ready to leave. She pointed to the left and said, “I have to go that way.”

“We were just heading in that direction,” Kiba said. “We can stick together until we have to part ways.” Kokoro protested but he cut her off. “I’d hate to see you get killed in this place. You’re one of the cooler girls.”

Kokoro smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Kiba. Alright, let’s get going. I’m scared to leave Naruto and Sasuke alone for much longer,” she said grimly. Team 8 nodded their heads and led the way. Kokoro lagged behind a bit, still tired from her previous fight. They hopped from branch to branch until Kiba brought them to a stop. They dropped down from the tree and stopped behind a bush. Akamaru shook and whimpered quietly. He climbed in Kiba’s shirt and hid. Hinata, Shino, and Kokoro stared at the scared pup and questioned Kiba.

“Akamaru can sniff out the level of the enemy’s chakra and tell their strength. This is the first time I’ve seen him so scared like this. The people going at it up ahead aren’t ordinary genin,” Kiba said with pursed lips. He crawled up to the edge of the bush and peeked his head over. He gaped openly at the scene he was met with. Curiously, Kokoro peeked her head over the bush, too.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were facing off against a team of Ame genin. The Ame genin were trying to intimidate the sand siblings, but Kokoro knew it wasn’t working. Gaara wasn’t the type of person to be intimidated and judging by the murderous look upon his face, he was ready to tear them to shreds.

“Let’s get this over with,” Gaara said.

“Wait, Gaara,” Kankuro stopped him. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to follow them and see if they have the right scroll?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Gaara said. “If their eyes meet mine, I’ll kill them all.”

The Ame genin attacked first. The one in the middle pulled out a handful of umbrellas and threw them in the air. He completed a few hand signs, causing a rain of senbon to come down from the umbrellas and rush straight towards Gaara. Kokoro’s breathing hitched and she worried about Gaara’s safety. Instead of hitting their intended target, they smashed into hard sand shielding Gaara from their attack. She breathed out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. The killing intent emanating from Gaara was palpable and suffocating. Frustrated, the Ame genin ran towards Gaara, who lowered his sand shield and connected the fingertips of his hands.

“Sand Coffin,” he said as he punched a hand out. Sand rushed from his gourd and wrapped itself around the Ame genin in a flurry of movements. Kokoro bit her lip as the sand encased the genin until only his face was showing. She wanted to call out to Gaara and have him stop; she wanted him to see how unnecessary his actions were. There was no guarantee the Ame team had the right scroll. Gaara just wanted to hurt someone - kill someone - and Kokoro didn’t know how to feel about the new information.

The umbrellas that were hovering in the air fell to the ground. Gaara picked one up and held it over his head. He outstretched a hand and made the sand-covered genin rise into the air. He closed his fist and the sand squeezed the Ame genin until he popped and blood showered over the field. Kokoro’s eyes were wide with terror and her mouth refused to close. Her body started trembling uncontrollably and she took a shaky step back.

Blood landed near the bush and some landed on her cheek. She raised a wobbly hand and wiped it off, staring at the fluid. How could he kill someone without hesitation? He squeezed the life out of that genin without remorse, without his expression wavering. Who was that? That wasn’t the Gaara she knew. She knew he changed, she knew he wasn’t the same sweet, shy, teddy bear holding kid anymore, but there was no way Gaara had changed that much. There was no way he actually went through with his threats about killing someone. She shook her head as Gaara’s sand latched onto the last two genin and caged them in a ball of death before crushing them like their teammate.

“We have to escape quickly before he kills us,” Kiba said in a rush. But Kokoro couldn’t move. She was frozen in her spot. Hinata pulled on her arm but she wouldn’t budge.

“We have to go, Kokoro,” Kiba whispered frantically. She shook her head and pulled out of Hinata’s grasp. She stood up and took a step forward. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to call out to Gaara. She needed to know why he did it. What did he possibly gain from killing them mercilessly?

“Luckily it was a Heaven scroll,” Kankuro said as he picked it up. “We should head to the tower now.”

“It’s still not enough for me,” Gaara said hollowly. It’s not enough? How could it not be enough? There was three people’s worth of blood scattered across the grass and surrounding foliage. There was more blood than she’d ever seen. She briefly wondered how many people Gaara had used that jutsu on and shuddered. Some of the blood was absorbed by Gaara’s sand, which was placed back in his gourd.

“Just leave her,” Kiba panicked. “If she won’t come with us, then it’s her funeral.”

Team 8 left Kokoro there, fleeing away from the danger ahead. Kokoro was stuck in a trance and she couldn’t stop herself from stepping out of the bushes and staggered towards the Sand siblings with a dizzy head. Temari, who was watching her brother argue, saw Kokoro in her peripherals and gaped at her form. She glanced between Kokoro and her brothers quickly, trying to decipher if she could get the girl out of the area before she was noticed. She stepped towards Kokoro, but it was too late.

Kankuro and Gaara turned their heads in her direction and she made eye contact with Gaara. His eyes narrowed and he pushed Kankuro’s hand off the front of his shirt. Kokoro searched his eyes for remorse or regret, for anything that showed he wasn’t the cold-blooded killer he seemed to be. Whatever she was searching for, she didn’t find it.

“Y-you,” she stuttered. She took a step back and looked around the clearing for an exit. She shouldn’t have revealed herself. What was she thinking? He could turn on her. He didn’t view her as his friend anymore. She was no more important than those Ame genin. He was dangerous, a monster with no empathy for human life.

No, what was she saying? It was Gaara. _Gaara! _He wasn’t a monster. He was just misguided. Right? There had to be a sliver of the old Gaara left within him. Maybe SHukaku was bothering him too much. It was never Gaara who had attacked those kids when they were little; it was always Shukaku who moved the sand to hurt others. She tried to convince herself to not be afraid, to not run away and scream in terror, but her thoughts were fighting against each other.

Gaara lifted an arm and his palm faced Kokoro. She stilled and her breathing came out in pants. Her eyes were crazed with panic and her mouth dried out impossibly further.

“Gaara, stop!” Temari pleaded. “Do it for me, for your sister.”

Sand particles gathered in the air around his open fist, swirling in a hypnotic pattern. The gray-haired kunoichi leaned back and cringed away from the ball of sand forming

“Gaara!” Temari yelled. Kokoro closed her eyes and got ready for the attack. She held her breath and apologized to Naruto and Sasuke for letting them down. When it didn’t come, she opened one eye and was shocked to see the sand formed into a cork in Gaara’s hand. He grabbed the cork and plugged his gourd with it. He turned his back to her and started walking away.

“You’re smart to fear me,” he said as he walked. “I’ll reward you. Give her the scroll.”

“What?” Kankuro sputtered. “But Gaara, we need this to pass!”

“I told you it wasn’t enough. Mother needs more.”

“Gaara-” Temari tried. He shot her a glare and she immediately shut up. Wordlessly, Kankuro threw the Heaven scroll at Kokoro’s feet and cautiously followed Gaara away from the bloody field. Temari leveled her with a stare and huffed.

“Be lucky I even vouched for you,” Temari scoffed. “You’d be dead otherwise.”

With that, she turned on her heels and quickly walked to catch up to her brothers. When the siblings were out of sight, Kokoro’s lack of breath finally caught up to her and she gasped for air, drawing in gulps to soothe her lungs. That was too close for comfort. She was unsettled and her mind raced too fast for her to process. Gaara tried to hurt her for the second time in her life. He tried to kill her and would have done so if Temari never spoke up.

She thanked whatever god there was above that her life was spared and gathered the Heaven scroll. She removed the Earth scroll from her person and stared at the two scrolls intensely. Now all she had to do was find her teammates and get them to the tower in the center of the forest. It was going to be hard and she only hoped she would find them before time ran out. She pulled out a sealing scroll and sealed the Heaven and Earth scrolls within it.

She stared in the direction Gaara left for a few minutes before she made up her mind. It was too much, and no matter how much she wanted to believe Gaara was the same friend she made so long ago, he wasn’t. Maybe he’d change one day and they’d reconcile, but for now, she didn’t know who he was. She was done trying to befriend him again. She was done acknowledging him and his presence as a friendly or a neutral. He was an enemy, and it was time she started acting like he was. She walked in the opposite direction Gaara went and started her search for her teammates. She’d steer clear of the sand siblings for the rest of the exams. There was no use chasing after him when he didn’t want her to catch him.

* * *

Dear Gaara,

It’s strange. I mean, it’s strange how fast I grew attached to you. We barely spent any time together, and yet I want to remain by your side for the rest of my life. I want to see you every day, smiling and having fun with me. Sometimes I dream about us playing tag on the playground or sparring amiably. Of course, I always have to guess at which jutsus you’d use or if you were even good at taijutsu. I’d like to think you’re good at everything, being a child of the Kazekage and all.

The last time I left Sunagakure, I questioned my friendship with you. A friend wouldn’t hurt another friend, is what my dad tells me continuously. I don’t want to listen to him, but sometimes I doubt you want to be my friend. What can I do to make you see that I’d do anything for you? I’m running out of options. If you want me to stop being so persistent, then I will. I won’t waste energy on you if it will all be for nothing.

Kokoro

* * *

**A.N.**

**I’m so sorry for not posting anything last week. Honestly, I am so overwhelmed with trying to figure out what I’m going to do for my senior year of college, and starting a new job, and trying to figure out what I can do for my campus job, and studying for exams to get my teaching certification. It feels like everything hit me at once and I’m not dealing with it well.**

**As a reminder, the letters are all out of order. You can gain a sense of when Kokoro sent them out by the contents of them. When Gaara finally finds the letters, I will put them in order so you can read them in order.**

**Thank you to a guest review I got on Fanfiction.net for the suggestion to have Kokoro watch Gaara perform Sand Coffin and Sand Burial. I was going to have Kokoro wake up earlier and have her find Naruto and Sasuke fighting the Sound genin with Team 10 and Team Gai, but I liked their suggestion better. I don’t know if I will reveal what exactly happened to Naruto and Sasuke while they were separated from Kokoro, but I will at least hint at it. It won’t be much different from canon, so I don’t think it’s necessary to write about it.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reminder, the letters are all out of order. You can gain a sense of when Kokoro sent them out by the contents of them. When Gaara finally finds the letters, I will put them in order so you can read them in order.
> 
> Thank you to a guest review I got on Fanfiction.net for the suggestion to have Kokoro watch Gaara perform Sand Coffin and Sand Burial. I was going to have Kokoro wake up earlier and have her find Naruto and Sasuke fighting the Sound genin with Team 10 and Team Gai, but I liked their suggestion better. I don’t know if I will reveal what exactly happened to Naruto and Sasuke while they were separated from Kokoro, but I will at least hint at it. It won’t be much different from canon, so I don’t think it’s necessary to write about it.


	20. Chapter 20

Kokoro discreetly walked through the forest, tense and ready for any confrontations. Thankfully, it was still light outside, and she hadn’t run into any vast bugs or other genin. She peeked over her shoulder, paranoid and anxious to find her teammates. She searched for any orange and yellow colors, figuring Naruto was easier to spot than Sasuke, who had a calmer coloring. She fiddled with her blue bow with one hand and held a kunai in the other. She ran her fingers over the sharp edge of the bow and pricked her finger on the hidden blades keeping her bow ramrod straight.

It was an idea her dad gave her. She had been persistent in wearing a bow because it reminded her of the purple bow he gave her for her birthday. Her dad suggested she put the bow to use if she wanted it so badly. Her bow was detachable, a trump card, but she hadn’t used it yet. She wanted to keep it a secret as long as possible.

She heard splashing ahead and gripped her kunai tightly in her grasp. She concluded she had either walked in a complete circle, or she got turned around. Either way, she had to be careful not to be caught. She didn’t know if she could survive another disadvantaged fight. She sneakily crept up to the edge of the treeline and caught sight of a small precipice. She lowered herself to the ground, crawled to the side of the cliff, and peeked over it to see two shuriken flying her way. She ducked out of the way and jumped away. She hid in the trees and prepared herself for another fight.

A familiar genin with black hair and matching black eyes appeared. They were wearing a blue shirt with a high collar, light shorts, and blue sandals. A Konoha hitai-ate donned their forehead, keeping their hair out of their eyes. Kokoro sighed in relief as she watched Sasuke scan the surrounding area. She tried to think of a way to let him know she was friendly, but he looked haggard and stiff. Tired. They had to have been in a fight. She grimaced and clenched her hands. If only she had been with them to help.

“Show yourself!” Sasuke shouted. She sighed and climbed down the tree she was perched in. She placed a smirk on her face and walked into his sightline with her hands up.

“Is that any way to greet your favorite teammate?” she asked cockily. She masked how tired she was and held herself straight yet lackadaisically. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and assessed her without putting his guard down.

“How do I know you’re who you say you are?” he demanded. She shrugged and thought about it before an idea came to mind.

“Sneak up when a lot of enemies are fighting. The quiet place has no secrets. Shinobis need to know the right time. The time an enemy is tired,” she recited to the best of her abilities. She grimaced and hoped he would take her answer. She waited with bated breath as he studied her. After a moment, he rolled his eyes and relaxed his body, crossing his arms and scowling at her.

“What happened to you? And what took you so long?” he questioned. Kokoro sighed tiredly and trudged up to him.

“I got into a fight. Where’s Naruto?”

He jabbed his thumb downwards and motioned for her to follow him. They walked down the cliff and caught sight of the back of a cheerful, wet blond holding a couple of fish in his hands. He cheered and faced them. When he saw his female teammate, he rushed out of the water and embraced her in a hug. While she was grateful for his happiness, she was trying her hardest not to gag at the wiggling fish in front of her face.

“Finally, you’re back!” Naruto cheered. “It’s been so boring with just this teme.”

Kokoro shot Sasuke a look of desperation, to which he pulled Naruto away from her. She thanked him and tried to tame her curly hair. She followed the two boys to their small, makeshift camp. Sasuke lit the campfire, placed the now-dead fish on sticks, and steadied them over the fire. She dropped to the ground in a heap close to the fire and took refuge in the warmth it gave her.

“It’s already been four days since the second exam started. Since the exam started in the afternoon, we only have about twenty-five hours left to complete it,” Sasuke told them. “Some teams probably have already passed, but there will be some left. We’ll have to be careful from now on.”

“The teams that are left are probably hiding near the tower,” Kokoro surmised. She chuckled as she watched Naruto drool over the broiling fish. “We need to be at our strongest when we decide to make the trip to the tower.”

“We still need another scroll, though,” Sasuke said, frustrated. He pulled out an Earth scroll and glared at it. “There’s no way we’ll make it in time.”

“I can’t wait anymore!” Naruto shouted. He reached for a stick, but Sasuke pulled him back at the last minute. Naruto huffed and pouted, muttering something about being hungry. Sasuke cuffed the back of his head and grabbed two sticks. He inspected the fish and handed one to Kokoro, keeping one for himself. Kokoro blew on it before she took a bite and swallowed greedily. She polished off her fish and licked her lips.

She glanced around and casually tapped Sasuke on his thigh. He looked at her curiously. Her eyes flitted to the scroll in his hands and tapped against his leg twice. His frown deepened as he tried to figure out what she was telling him. It was at times like these when Kokoro wished she knew ANBU code. It would be so useful at the moment. Sasuke screwed his face into confusion, holding his half-eaten fish slightly away from his body, and it took all her willpower not to hit him. She decided to try another tactic.

“It sucks you only have _one_ fish to eat, Sasuke, when I have _two_,” she said, stressing the numbers.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “The last one is for Naruto.”

At the mention of his name, Naruto grabbed the last fish and scarfed it down, happily burning his tongue in the process.

“The fish is absolutely _heavenly _even though it tastes so _earthy_, isn’t it Naruto?” she asked innocently. Sasuke’s eyes widened as Naruto scratched his head.

“Uh, I guess,” Naruto said plainly. She was thrilled at least one of her teammates was smart enough to figure out what she was trying to say. Naruto was a great friend, but sometimes his dimwittedness got on her nerves. She’d have to ask her dad to help him work on that.

“How?” Sasuke asked, astonished. She shook her head and gestured towards her ears. Someone could be listening in on their conversation, and they couldn’t afford to be ambushed.

“We should rest for a bit,” Kokoro suggested. “We should gather some water, too.”

“We can’t rest now,” Naruto argued. “We don’t have time!”

“We’re all exhausted,” Kokoro pointed out. “If someone were to engage us in a battle, are you confident in saying we could win?”

“Naruto’s right,” Sasuke butted in. “We don’t have time to rest. We need to get to the tower before the end of the day.”

“But-”

“We have to risk it,” Sasuke interrupted. He put out the fire and stood up. “Let’s get going.”

He walked off with Naruto in tow. Kokoro bit her lip and shook her head. She had to stick with the team. Even if she thought they would benefit from rest, majority ruled. She threw her stick to the ground and caught up to them. They carefully walked through the forest until they saw the tall tower up ahead. Naruto exclaimed, and right after, there was a rustle of leaves. Naruto threw a kunai in the direction of the noise and hit a centipede in the center of its head. Kokoro pulled a face at the giant bug and couldn’t stomach watching it wiggle around. She glanced away and focused on Naruto instead.

“Listen, Naruto,” she started, “you have to be quieter from now on, okay? We wouldn’t want to announce our presence to any enemies.”

“Ah, right. I’ll be quiet from now on, dattebayo!” he shouted. She winced at the sound, and Sasuke glared at him. “Oh, right,” he said, embarrassed.

“She’s right,” someone said. Team 7 swiveled around defensively. Kabuto stood behind them with a hand on his hip and a smirk on his face. Naruto let his guard down completely and even ran up to the older genin. Sasuke stood down but elected to stay by Kokoro’s side. Kokoro steeled Kabuto with a hard gaze and refused to back down. She put her weapon away but remained on edge around the gray-haired genin. “You never know who’s lurking around.”

“What are you doing here?” Naruto asked enthusiastically.

“Where’s the rest of your team?” Kokoro asked suspiciously.

“I got separated from them,” Kabuto answered easily. “I heard the three of you and figured I could offer my services once more. C’mon. The tower is this way.”

When Naruto tried to follow him blindly, Kokoro grabbed the hem of his jacket and pulled him towards her. Kabuto sent her a rather scathing gaze, and she sent him a tight-lipped smile in return.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“Forgive me, I’m being rude, but I don’t think it’s in my best interest of my teammates’ best interest to follow the competition blindly,” she said snarkily.

“I’m just a fellow Konoha genin trying to help,” Kabuto said innocently.

“Kabuto’s cool, Koko,” Naruto protested. “It’s not like it’s any different than when Shikamaru’s team and this weird bushy-eyed guy helped us.”

“Wait, what?” she asked, confused.

“We got into a scuffle after we got separated from you, and Shikamaru’s team and another Konoha genin team with a Hyuga on it helped us out,” Sasuke explained.

“I’m glad you two are okay, but that’s beside the point,” she said. “We don’t know Kabuto like we know them.”

“Look, if you don’t want my help, that’s fine. Just don’t come crying to me when you don’t pass,” Kabuto said quickly. Kokoro sneered in his direction, her upper lip showcasing a few of her top teeth.

“We can get to the tower ourselves,” she hissed angrily. “We don’t need some genin who can’t pass the exams after four years telling us we need help.”

Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, and she looked at him incredulously. He shook his head and leveled Kabuto with an analyzing stare.

“Lead the way,” he said. Kokoro bunched her fists and bit her lip to stop herself from shouting. Why weren’t they listening to her? Why couldn’t they see how weird and suspicious Kabuto was? Someone who claims to have so much information and so much strength should have already passed the exams with no problems. It didn’t make sense, and she wracked her brain to figure out what his game was. Seeing her team walk away and follow a stranger hurt her, and she couldn’t help but feel excluded ever since she reunited with them.

She muttered under her breath and followed them. Quietly, they snuck their way to the tower slowly. Well, everyone except Naruto. He was having trouble staying quiet and eventually got tangled in a bunch of vines. Kabuto jumped from his position on a different tree and freed the orange-clad genin. Naruto fell to the ground in a heap, and Kokoro helped him stand up. He took a few steps before he came face to face with a rope. Kabuto pulled him away and motioned for him to look up. In the trees above them, a handful of genin were tied up and dead, caught in a trap.

“It’ll get intense ahead from here on out,” Kabuto stated. Team 7 nodded and began their trek again. Naruto took a step and tripped over a wire, causing a flurry of kunai to fly straight towards him.

“Naruto!” Kokoro yelled as she rushed to help him. Kabuto got there first, shielding him from the attack and getting hit by a dozen kunai in his back. When Kabuto landed on the ground, a puff of smoke encased him, and a log was in his stead. A substitution. Kokoro looked around and spotted him safely standing in a tree a few feet away.

“I told you it would get intense from here on out,” Kabuto said cockily. Kokoro scoffed and ignored him. She decided to study their surroundings, searching for any more traps or enemies in the vicinity. “Let’s go. We can’t stand in one area for too long.”

* * *

“I’ve had it!” Naruto exclaimed. “We’ve been walking for hours, and the tower isn’t any closer than it was before!”

Kokoro agreed with him as she leaned exhaustedly against a tree close to her. She was thirsty, hungry, and tired from wandering around the forest. It felt like they were getting nowhere, and she couldn’t help but feel like they were being led astray. Her eyes slid to Kabuto as she panted lightly and wondered if he was just leading them into a trap. That thought disappeared when she saw the intense look in Kabuto’s eyes. He was just as wary as she was.

“It seems we’re already within the enthusiastic welcome,” Kabuto said.”Take a look at that.”

Kokoro turned and gasped when she saw the same giant centipede Naruto killed hours ago. There was no way they returned to the same place they came from when they had been walking straight. There was only one answer.

“Is it a genjutsu?” Sasuke asked intensely.

“It seems so,” Kabuto answered. She nearly groaned. Genjutsu was her weakness. Of course she missed it! She kept her eyes peeled for anyone, feeling the creepy sensation of being watched crawl down her spine. Out of nowhere, a genin appeared in a tree. More and more of the same genin crawled out of the trees surrounding them and put the four genin on high alert. The clones closed in on them.

“Cornered rats,” the clone said with a chuckle.

Naruto jumped into action and punched a clone in its stomach. His fist went right through the clone, but instead of disappearing like it should have, a new clone emerged from the wound and converged with the old one. Sasuke activated his Sharingan as Kokoro got ready to defend Naruto. He was in the middle of a group of clones, and his back was turned toward the clone he attacked. A glint of metal entered her vision and stepped into action, throwing shuriken at the arm trying to attack her blond teammate and disconnecting it from its body.

The clone turned towards the remaining three genin and threw a double-edged kunai at the group. It was heading straight for Sasuke, who wouldn’t move from his spot. Kabuto tackled him to the ground and got cut by the kunai in the process. Kokoro ran to Sasuke and assessed his physical state. As she assessed him, she saw a weird, three-tomoed mark on his neck. Something was spreading from it and starting to cover Sasuke’s neck.

“Scroll please,” the clones surrounding them said over and over again. She made a mental note to ask him about it later and deemed the rest of him okay. Naruto went to attack the clones again, but Sasuke called out for him to stop.

“It’s futile,” he said. “These things are illusions. It’s an enemy genjutsu.”

“But Kabuto’s wound is real,” Kokoro muttered.

“Sasuke’s right,” Kabuto said. “The enemy is probably somewhere close, watching and coordinating their attacks. From a data standpoint, the enemy is a long-range fighter and a weak close-ranged fighter. They’re most likely weak in taijutsu. All we can do now is fend off their attacks.”

The clones threw kunai at the group, who dodged the flying weapons. It was endless, but they finally got a reprieve. Kokoro panted and tried to think of a way out of their situation.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll just use my clones,” Naruto said.

“Don’t waste your chakra, Naruto,” Kabuto said. “There’s no point!”

“I’ll just attack them all at once, and then we’ll discover the enemy’s hiding spot,” Naruto said fearlessly. He made the sign for Shadow Clone Jutsu, and a bunch of Narutos entered the area. They attacked the clones shamelessly, biting into them with kunai and fists. But no matter how many times he hit them, the enemy’s clones shot back up.

“That loser,” Sasuke muttered darkly. “Let’s go, Kokoro!”

He rushed into the fray of clones and swung his kunai left and right. Kokoro followed after him with ferociousness and attacked as hard as she could. Ducking, dodging, stabbing, swinging, kicking. She did anything to dispel the clones. Finally, an idea formed in her head. She found the closest Naruto clone and whispered in his ear quickly. He nodded and got to work. A clone informed Sasuke and Kabuto of the plan, and as soon as Kokoro saw a clone of her appear, she slinked into the safety of the trees. Naruto, Kabuto, and Sasuke joined her, watching the clones fight each other.

Night turned to morning, and their clones finally got tired. The real enemy team stepped out of the treeline, and the clones the four genin were fighting relentlessly disappeared. They were Ame genin dressed in beige jumpsuits. The one in the middle stared at the Sasuke clone hatefully and said, “You’re the one that did my left shoulder in. I finally found you. Now I can reciprocate the favor.”

“Cornered rats,” Naruto said from his position behind the enemy. The real Kabuto, Kokoro, and Sasuke stood beside him with grins on their faces. The plan worked, and now the Ame genin were the ones in trouble. Naruto rushed forward but dropped to the ground on one knee.

“Naruto, you’ve used too much chakra,” Sasuke told him. “Let us handle the rest.”

Instead of allowing his teammates to finish the job, he jumped up and punched the Ame genin in the face, wiping them out.

“No way!” Naruto exclaimed. “I always miss the good parts.”

The Ame genin stood up and quickly started a new jutsu. A bunch of clones popped up, but these were different from the others; they were regular clones. Naruto began attacking them, trying to find the real one. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to look for the real one, but he fell to the floor and screamed out in pain. Kokoro rushed to his side and saw the odd mark on his neck flare up. Naruto heard the cry and turned, leaving him wide open for an attack. Kabuto jumped to his defense and got another cut to his body.

The Ame genin came out of the ground and sliced Kabuto across his face, causing the gray-haired man to fall to the ground. His glasses careened off his face. In a fit of rage, Naruto kicked the Ame genin, and they soared through the air before they hit the grass. The clones vanished, leaving only three, knocked out enemy left.

“Finally!” Kokoro exclaimed in relief.

“I kicked butt! Did you see that Kokoro?” Naruto asked gleefully. She nodded her head and smiled at his enthusiasm. Now all they had to do was get to the tower, and it would be smooth sailing from there. They rushed to the tower and made it in record time. A rustle of the bushes made her groan. Two Konoha genin emerged from the trees, and Kabuto greeted them.

“Oh, it’s you two,” he said.

“You’re late, Kabuto,” one of them said.

“I got entangled in something. Sorry,” Kabuto apologized.

“Do you have the scroll?” the other asked.

“Uh,” Kabuto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and tried to come up with an excuse. Kokoro rolled her eyes and grabbed the Earth scroll hiding on Sasuke’s person. She ignored the shout of anger he gave her and held the scroll out to Kabuto.

“I hope you need an Earth scroll,” she said. He nodded his head and took the scroll gratefully.

“Thank you.”

“You did help us, after all,” she said easily with an eye smile. Behind her smile, she was still wary of the older genin. His help didn’t excuse anything else about him. Kabuto and his team left through a door a ways away, and Team 7 decided to use a different door. There was no one inside, only a large poster with words written on it. Kokoro walked up to the sign and read it, becoming confused.

“If Heaven does not exist, enrich your knowledge and prepare for the chance. If Earth does not exist, run the field in search of an advantage. Open the series of Heaven and Earth...,” Sasuke read aloud. Kokoro understood what they had to do and plucked the Heaven and Earth scroll hiding in her clothes. She placed them on the ground and opened them.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Sasuke asked incredulously. She walked away from the scrolls and waited for something to happen. In a puff of smoke, Iruka appeared with a satisfied grin on his face.

They had passed the second exam.

**Just a heads up, this isn't edited at all, so bear with me please. I will try to edit it sometime later this week.**


	21. Chapter 21

Kokoro stood next to her teammates with a grim expression on her face. When they passed the second part of the exams, she believed they would have some reprieve before starting the next part. She was wrong. Standing beside all the genin who passed the stage within the Forest of Death, she stared at the Hokage with a less than happy expression on her face. Her father stood behind the Hokage with his hands at his side. He made eye contact with her and shrugged his shoulders when she frowned at him.

Even though they passed the second part, they were not guaranteed a spot in the third part of the exams. Too many genin made it through the forest, so they had to participate in an elimination round of sorts. They had to fight each other randomly to determine who gets to move on to the final and third round of the Chunin Exams. Kokoro scoffed at the explanation but knew he was right. Having been to the Chunin Exams before, the third part always consists of a tournament to determine a winner. It only takes a day as important guests - Kages, Lords, the wealthy - come from all over the shinobi world to watch them. If there are too many genin entering the tournament, the whole thing could last two or three days.

They were given a chance to leave, to give up and fail the exams, but Kokoro stayed rigid in her place. There was no way she would back down after spending all that time and energy spent in the Forest of Death trying to survive. Not everyone thought like her. Kabuto raised his hand and dropped out, stepping away from everyone else to announce his departure. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at his behavior and silently wondered what he was doing. If he failed the exams six times already wouldn’t he try to at least attempt the preliminary round to get to the third round? 

The proctor of the preliminary round, Gekko Hayate, turned everyone’s attention to the board that would announce the participant of each battle. There were two slots on the digital board that spun around before landing on two names: Akado Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke. Kokoro chanced a glance at her teammate and saw him grip his shoulder in pain. An image of a three-tomoed mark entered her mind and she couldn’t help but feel it was the cause of his pain. Sasuke saw her observing him and dropped his arm from his shoulder. He shot her look that promised pain if she were to tell anyone about his condition. She contemplated telling the proctor or her father or the Hokage but she startled when his stare grew dark and animosity shined through his dark eyes. Pure hatred and anger directed at her made her uncomfortable and she shifted in her spot so that she stood closer to Naruto. Sasuke smirked and searched for his opponent, one of Kabuto’s teammates.

Sasuke and Akado stepped out and faced each other while everyone else was told to move to the upper level of the area. Kokoro stood next to Naruto and another boy named Rock Lee. Lee was the smaller version of Gai. He sported a black bowl cut that glistened with healthiness and thick, dark eyebrows to match. His shinobi gear consisted of a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and bandages that spiraled on his hands and up to his forearms. He wore his red hitai ate like a belt around his waist instead of above his round, expressive eyes.

“Lee, I’m glad you made it,” Kokoro said pleasantly. “Just know that your speed alone can’t beat me.”

She was honestly glad he has made it so far. He worked ridiculously hard to get to where he was currently as he was a special case. Lee couldn’t mold chakra, so he relied heavily on taijutsu to defeat his opponents. Because Gai has a similar situation, Lee was placed in Gai;s tutelage and has been strengthening his skills every day. He was a tough opponent because he was fast, and his blows hurt. It was like battling against a flexible piece of metal that could move at blinding speeds. Kokoro rubbed her arms in remembrance of all the bruises he had given her over the few years they knew each other.

“Kokoro!” Lee exclaimed. “You will be a most difficult opponent! It will be an honor to defeat you in front of Gai sensei once again!”

Her face soured and she huffed, turning away from him and crossing her arms. She’s had many fights with Lee and out of the twenty or so she’s had with him, she’s only won nine. She’d like to blame her dad for the commentary he liked to give during their fights or the probing eyes of Lee’s teammates but knew that it was her lax focus that caused her to lose. That didn’t mean she couldn’t be bitter about it.

“What are you talking about, bushy brow?” Naruto asked. “Kokoro is one of the best kunoichi ever! She’d wipe you with the floor, believe it! Just because you beat the t doesn’t mean you can beat her!”

“It’s okay, Naruto,” Kokoro sighed out. “Lee’s beaten me lots of times before. He’s strong. But we haven’t fought in about a year and I’ve gotten stronger.”

“I look forward to fighting you again,” Lee said with a thumbs up. Kokoro giggled at his antics and gave him a thumbs up in response.

Gai dropped down beside Lee and threw an arm around Lee’s and Kokoro’s shoulders. He smiled widely and said, “The season of youth is blooming right in front of my eyes. You have picked a most beautiful flower, Lee!”

“Thank you, Gai sensei! I will continue to nurture Kokoro’s spirit so that she blossoms into the beautiful flower she is!” Lee shouted excitedly.

“Now, now. Let’s not get too excited,” Kakashi said as he strolled up to the four of them. “Kokoro is too young to date. Perhaps in a few years, Lee.”

Kokoro glared at her dad and stuck her tongue out at him, cursing him in her head that he was entertaining the idea of her and Lee dating. There wasn’t anything wrong with Lee as he was a great boy, but he wasn’t her type. He was too loud and optimistic - too eccentric. Her type was quieter and mellow.

Hayate announced the beginning of the fight and the two squared off. As the fight progressed, Yoroi’s ability began to shine and gave him an advantage in the fight. He had the ability to drain an opponent’s chakra just by touching them. Sasuke was already low on chakra and he couldn’t use his Sharingan to predict Yoroi’s movements. Sasuke clutched his shoulder painfully, and Kokoro worried he might not be able to finish the fight. He was a strong and formidable opponent, but you had to know when you were at your limit.

“You call yourself an Uchiha and you’re giving up?!” Naruto exclaimed loudly from beside Kokoro. She grimaced at the volume he projected and clasped a hand over the ear closest to him. “You’re supposed to be this great Uchiha and you can’t even win your first battle!”

Sasuke stared at Naruto before his eyes drifted towards Lee. His eyes widened and a confident gleam entered his eyes. He turned back to Yoroi and he began dodging his chakra-fused fists. Kokoro smirked in realization and thought back to before they took the first exam.

* * *

_“Uchiha Sasuke!”_

_Kokoro, Naruto, and Sasuke were walking through the halls of the Academy when they were stopped by an exuberant voice. Kokoro groaned as she recognized the loud voice and crossed her arms over her chest. Naruto and Sasuke looked at her curiously, to which she just shook her head and motioned them to turn around._

_Standing behind them was Lee with his two teammates Neji and TenTen. Neji was a Hyuuga and looked like a Hyuuga. He had long, brown hair that was tied at the bottom to keep the hair out of his face. His light, violet eyes pierced through anyone who stared at them, and his face was as stoic as ever. He was exceptionally good at using his family’s kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, and his style of fighting was very controlled. Tenten was the kunoichi of the group and was a master in the making of weapons and tools. She had deep brown hair that was tied in two buns on her head and short fringe-bangs that framed her face. Her eyes were mahogany brown in color and her forehead protector sat across her forehead._

_“Who are you,” Naruto asked, “and what’s up with your eyebrows?!”_

_“I am Rock Lee!” Lee announced. “I am here to challenge Uchiha Sasuke to a duel!”_

_“Lee, we don’t have time for this,” Tenten said, exasperatedly._

_“Like you could fight me,” Sasuke said plainly._

_“It seems you forgot to inform your teammates that there are those who are more proficient at being a shinobi than them, Hatake,” Neji said scathingly._

_Kokoro rolled her eyes at his behavior and said, “Like you’re the best, Neji. You might as well let Lee have his fun with Sasuke. If he doesn’t fight him now, you know he’ll just annoy everyone until he can. Besides, maybe Sasuke will finally get that damn bigheaded ego in check.”_

_“My ego is justified,” Sasuke retorted._

_“Some of it is. Most of it’s not,” she said offhandedly._

_“Will you accept my challenge, Uchiha Sasuke?” Lee asked impatiently._

_“Like hell I will. I have an exam to pass,” Sasuke dismissed him. He turned his back on Team Gai, but Kokoro stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. He glared at her and shrugged her hand off. She shrugged her shoulders and addressed Lee._

_“Sorry, Lee. I guess he’s too cocky to face the best genin taijutsu user in Konoha,” she said slyly. She watched Sasuke from the corner of her eye. He tensed before curiosity got the best of him and caused him to face Team Gai once again. “Your speed is unrivaled and I’m sure even Sasuke will have a tough time keeping up with you.”_

_“As if this loser could defeat me,” Sasuke said._

_“You’ll never know until you fight him,” Kokoro said in a sing-song voice. Sasuke looked Lee up and down before he nodded his head and moved away from Naruto and Kokoro. He beckoned Lee to step forward and got into a ready position. Lee separated from Tenten and Neji and got into his ready position._

_“Cmon, Naruto,” Kokoro said she threw an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s let Sasuke fight Lee in peace.”_

_“Wait, but I want to watch the fight!” Naruto whined as Kokoro dragged him closer to the exit. Kokoro grew annoyed and gently bonked him on the head. Naruto flinched and yelled “Ow!” in reflex._

_“We’re not leaving the room, baka,” she said. “We’re just moving to the side of the room. Lee can get a bit rowdy when he’s excited.”_

_“She’s not wrong,” Tenten sighed out as she and Neji joined them._

_“We shouldn’t be spectating, we should be moving along,” Neji complained. “If we’re late, we won’t be able to conduct the exams.”_

_“This will take five minutes tops,” Kokoro said._

_“You think Sasuke’s that great?” Naruto grumbled out._

_“No, I think Lee’s that great,” she corrected. “Sasuke’s very talented, but Lee’s works harder. If Sasuke put in more effort, he’d easily be the Kakashi of our generation. As it is, he doesn’t, so he can’t reach his full potential.”_

_“And you know this how?” Neji asked dubiously._

_“Because I’m the same way,” she sighed out. “Not that I'm anyone of any generation. I have the potential, but I don’t put in the work, or says my dad. I think I’m starting to believe him, though.”_

_“Don’t doubt yourself now, Koko!” Naruto shouted in disbelief. “You were the top kunoichi of our class!”_

_“Doesn’t matter,” she said with a shake of her head. She watched as Lee decimated Sasuke, moving around him with lightning speed and landing blows like it was the easiest thing to do. Sasuke tried countering his attacks, but he wasn’t moving fast enough. Sasuke turned on his Sharingan, but even then, Lee still had the upper hand. Sasuke could copy his moves, but he wasn’t fast enough to execute them on Lee or counter them. Kokoro watched Lee use his Dancing Leaf Shadow taijutsu technique. It was a hard technique for genin to use and the fact that Lee could use it was a testament to his strength. He mirrored Sasuke’s movements, allowing him to set up his next attack. Eventually, the two came to a standstill, holding each other’s fists and staring each other down._

_“I think it’s time to end this,” Tenten said worriedly. “Sensei is going to show up if we don’t show up soon.”_

_As if her words were the magic to bring him, Gai popped into the room on a turtle in a poof of smoke. It was as dramatic as the man himself. He assessed the scene and walked over to Lee to reprimand him and dish out his punishment. Kokoro pursed her lips and walked over to Sasuke. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from Team Gai_

_“Who was that?” Sasuke asked._

_“Rock Lee.”_

* * *

“So that’s what he plans to do,” Kokoro muttered under her breath in astonishment. She should have known he’d be able to use it to some extent. He continuously kicked Yoroi in the air until he was satisfied with how high up he was.

“What?! What’s he doing?” Naruto asked impatiently.

“It is astonishing,” Lee said, quite perturbed.

“He’s copying Lee’s move from their fight,” Kokoro told Naruto. Sasuke slammed Yoroi down with a kick into the ground and waited a few seconds to see if Yoroi would get up. He didn’t. Sasuke was declared the winner and Kakashi immediately went down to help him out. Kokoro watched her dad and Sasuke leave the arena with a frown on her face. She was worried about Sasuke’s health, and she was worried her dad would miss her fight.

Fight after fight was announced as she stood there in anticipation of her own fight. Her eyes flickered around the area, trying to gauge who her opponent would be. So far, Shino and a sound shinobi named Zaku fought, Kankuro and a Konoha shinobi named Tsurugi fought, two Kiri genin fought, and Temari and Ino fought. She winced as she recalled the recent fight between Temari and Ino. It was a bloodbath! The Kiri fight was brutal, too. She never thought someone could be so mean to their teammate. Kokoro only hoped Ino took the initiative to improve rather than sulk about her loss.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Gaara, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, Choji, and two sound shinobi still had to fight. She hoped she didn’t have to fight Naruto or Gaara. She didn’t want to fight Naruto because he was her teammate and she was already used to fighting him, and she didn’t want to fight Gaara because, well, he was unstable at the moment. She wanted to make up with him not create a more divisive barrier between them.

The board spun once again and landed on two names: Hatake Kokoro and Tenten. Kokoro looked at the girl standing close to her and mirrored the determination she found in her eyes. She quickly went over everything she knew about Tenten before their match began. Tenten’s specialty was bukijutsu, or using weapons, and fuinjutsu, or sealing techniques. Kokoro would have to rely on her speed during the match. But that made her nervous. She wasn’t known for her speed; in fact, she wasn’t known for anything! She had no specialty, no trump card to defeat anyone. Well, she had one, but she wasn’t allowed to use it. She’d have to win with her limited arsenal and work on her skills before the final exam.

“Good luck Koko!” Naruto exclaimed. “You got this one in the bag!”

She laughed stiffly and looked towards the entrance of the arena to see if her dad would show up in time for her fight. When he didn’t walk through the door, she sighed and made her way down the stairs after Tenten. She stood a few yards in front of Tenten and wiped the emotions from her face. She needed to concentrate if she wanted to win. Any slip up could cost her the match.

“Looks like the punk is finally up,” she heard Kankuro say loudly. “Think she’s gonna win, Gaara?”

Kokoro turned her head at his name and made eye contact with him. She saw a twinkle of expectation and anticipation in his eyes, but his comment made her bite her lip and screw her face up in disappointment.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s nothing but an irrelevant nuisance.”

“The match between Hatake Kokoro and Tenten is about to begin,” Hayate announced. “The match is over when one forfeits or is unconscious. Before we begin, do one of you wish to forfeit?”

“I’m ready whenever you are, Kokoro,” Tenten said.

“No,” Kokoro said plainly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She centered herself and calmed herself down with a breathing technique Haku taught her. She wished he were here right now with her. He always knew what to say to get her in the right mindset for a fight.

“Let the match between Hatake Kokoro and Tenten commence!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> I finally finished my semester and I'm back to writing for my stories! I was going to post this chapter on Sunday, but there were some things that I wanted to switch and move around before posting it. I'm working on the next chapter today, too, so there shouldn't be too long of a wait until I post it. I want to apologize to those of you who have been looking forward to an update for so long. I refuse to abandon this story and I want to finish it by the end of next year! I'm thinking of splitting the story into four parts: Childhood/Genin days, Time Skip stuff, The War, Post War.
> 
> I think doing that will help me organize where I want Kokoro to go as far as character development is concerned and how I want her relationship with Gaara to progress. I think each part will be 30-40 chapters long each, which means we're more than halfway done with the first part !!
> 
> Thank you for all your support!
> 
> Next up: Kokoro and Tenten's fight, Gaara and Lee's fight, and more


	22. Chapter 22

“Let the match between Hatake Kokoro and Tenten commence!”

Tenten jumped back and assessed Kokoro intensely. Kokoro stood still and quickly planned what she wanted to do. She knew that Tenten relied on long-range fighting rather than close range. Kokoro was more of a mid-range fighter but liked using close-range, too. She’d have to get close to Tenten to land a fist on her, but that was going to be hard to do with Tenten’s weapons and tools. She’d need to make the first move and try to get the upper hand early on in the fight.

_Alright, Koko,_ she spoke to herself, _give it your best go._

She shot forward, catching Tenten off guard. She wasn’t the fastest genin in Konoha, but she knew she was fast enough to use to her advantage. She swung her fist forward and missed as Tenten dodged her punch and retreated. Tenten pulled out four shuriken from her pouch and threw them at Kokoro, who dodged them with ease. She advanced on Tenten as the older girl was transitioning into her next attack. She grabbed a kunai and threw it to disrupt the beginning of Tenten’s next move. Instead of following the trajectory of her kunai, Kokoro ran around it and ran up to Tenten from the side. Tenten dodged the kunai and ran right into Kokoro.

The gray-haired genin punched Tenten in the face and swept her off her feet with a low leg sweep. Tenten fell to the ground and Kokoro took the opportunity to restrain her movements. She held down her legs with her own and tried to restrain her arms with her hands. However, Tenten was able to grab a kunai from her pouch and swung it in a wild arc. Kokoro leaned back and effectively missed being cut across her chest. She jumped away from her opponent and moved through the hand signs for her Water: Gunshot jutsu. One of the ten water bullets caught Tenten in the side and jolted the brunette to the side. Instead of faltering from the wound like Kokoro thought she would, Tenten brushed it to the side and pulled out a long scroll decorated with fuinjutsu lettering. She twirled in the air in a circle and an abundance of weapons flew out with quick succession.

Kokoro’s eyes widened and she jumped backwards to dodge the flurry of weapons. She weaved and bobbed around the area to avoid getting hit and used her metal arm guards to protect herself but was sliced by a wayward sword on her upper arm and by a kama on her leg. She cursed internally and glared at Tenten in frustration.

“I thought that would definitely get you,” Tenten said in irritation.

Kokoro watched her analyze the length between the two of them and took the chance to catch her off guard. She took a quick glance over her wounds to analyze how they would affect her movements and deemed them to be insignificant in the scheme of things. Although her arsenal of jutsu and techniques was limited and juvenile, she could still use them. While Tenten’s eyes were on the ground, she conjured up two water clones. Quietly, she took out a piece of cloth from one of her pouches and used the Cloak of Invisibility technique she learned in the Academy to cloak herself and one of her clones. She sent out a clone to rush at Tenten from the side to avoid any incoming blasts from Tenten.

Tenten saw the clone coming and began a new jutsu. Kokoro’s clone only held a partial amount of her power and speed. The extra time allowed Tenten to set out two scrolls and run through a series of hand signs before crossing her arms. The scrolls shot up into the air in a puff of smoke along with Tenten and a barrage of tools were sent barreling towards Kokoro’s clone. The clone was only able to withstand the attack for ten seconds before it was punctured and disappeared in a puddle. Amid the chaos, Kokoro sent out her last clone and used the body replacement and the transformation technique to disguise herself as one of the tools Tenten had previously used. It was lying behind Tenten unnoticed and forgotten.

Kokoro’s water clone stopped its forward motion and watched Tenten pull all the weapons she had thrown at Kokoro’s first clone with chakra strings. Tenten smirked and threw them once again. Kokoro didn’t take into consideration that Tenten could pull the weapons back to her and utilize them again and frantically tried to think of something to do. If her clone was expelled, she’d be done for. Tenten was still maneuvering the weapons in the air, meaning Kokoro couldn’t land a surprise punch on her. Hurriedly, she used the body replacement technique again and switched places with her clone. She ran through the hand signs, collected a big amount of chakra and sucked in an air of breath, releasing her Wind: Great Breakthrough on the floating girl.

The weapons and Tenten flew back in a heap as Kokoro advanced. Tenten stood up just as Kokoro’s water clone reached her location and punched her in the back of the head. Tenten was surprised and turned her back on the real Kokoro, catching a hit to the jaw. With a burst of adrenaline and speed, Kokoro caught Tenten’s arm as she flailed backwards and spun her in circles. She used the momentum to lift her off the ground and throw her against the nearby wall. Kokoro’s water clone melted right as Tenten’s unconscious form hit the floor.

“Winner: Hatake Kokoro!” Hayate announced.

She heard Naruto cheer in the background and smiled in exhaustion. She was breathing heavily and her muscles ached from the fight. Her chakra reserves were low and all she wanted to do was take a nap. The dual usage of the transformation technique and the body replacement technique took a toll on her, not to mention the amount of chakra she used to dish out her wind jutsu. She watched the medical ninja place Tenten on a stretcher and carry her out of the arena. She was glad she fought Tenten in the preliminaries. She put up a good fight and gave her a run for her money.

When they were gone from her sight, she took a struggling step forward and cringed from the movement. How was she going to get back up the stairs? Suddenly, someone poofed beside her and hoisted her up in their arms. She looked at the person bewildered and looked into matching gray eyes. She blinked twice before she realized it was her dad holding her up.

“Nice job, Kokoro. I’m proud of you,” he said with a genuine eye smile.

“You saw my match?” she asked in a small voice. She had been too focused on the match to notice his arrival just as they began fighting.

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied. “Now, let’s get you out of the way. I have a granola bar you can eat to help get your chakra levels back up.”

Kakashi carried her up the stairs and set her down on the floor to rest. He pulled out the granola bar and she took it appreciatively. She unwrapped it and took a bite, leaning her head against the cool railing and basking in the sensation.

“You showed her dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed. “You were awesome!”

“It seems I may have underestimated you,” Neji said in a cool manner.

“You were most youthful in your battle against Tenten,” Lee said.

Kokoro waved them off and munched on her granola bar. A few moments went by before she heard Naruto shout in excitement beside her. Lazily, she turned in the direction of the board and saw Naruto’s name along with Kiba’s name. She snorted and knew the match was going to be interesting. Kiba and Naruto had a weird rivalry that sprouted when they were in the Academy. Kiba started it and it only grew as the years went on. Kokoro wasn’t sure why it started to begin with, but she chalked it up to Kiba being jealous that Hinata liked Naruto more. Kiba did like Hinata, after all.

Naruto jumped into the battle area and started bragging as Kiba walked down the stairs. Kiba easily got irritated and they bantered for a minute before Kiba put Akamaru down and got serious. In her tired state, Kokoro knew there was a chance Kiba could win the match. Naruto’s unpredictability was his strongest asset. He could produce any plan on the fly that worked in his favor. However, his technicality wasn’t as good as Kiba’s. Either way, she wanted Naruto to win the most. He was her teammate first and foremost, and he was overdue for some recognition.

“You can do it Naruto!” she shouted through her exhaustion. With her head leaning against the railing and her chakra at a content level, she began to doze off. The last thing she saw was Kiba rush at Naruto before she fell asleep. She was shaken awake by her father and blearily opened her eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Most of the matches are over,” Kakashi told her. “I thought you’d want to watch this one.”

His words and the way he said it caught her attention. She lifted her head and stared at the announcement board. Gaara vs. Rock Lee. Gaara and Lee were already standing opposite each other in the area below. Lee was excited and determined to win while Gaara stood there with an odd look on his face. It was like he was ready to hurt someone. Kokoro bit her lip in worry and looked at her dad. He made eye contact with her and shook his head.

She knew she shouldn’t say anything, but someone could get hurt during this match. Gaara was different than he was before. Everyone was an enemy in his eyes, even Kokoro, the girl who had begged her father to give her money to buy him a new teddy bear. The glaring, evil-eyed redhead was far different than the one she’d met.

Before Hayate could announce the start of the match, Gaara flung the cork of his gourd at Lee. Lee caught it, smirked, and waited patiently for Hayate to start the match.

“When you are ready, begin,” Hayate announced. Lee ran towards Gaara with immense speed and sent a Leaf Hurricane kick in Gaara’s direction. Gaara stood there as he used his sand to block the spinning kick move. He sent his sand barreling at Lee, and the jumpsuit wearing genin backflipped out of the way. Lee assessed Gaara’s sand and rushed at the redhead again, evading sand and throwing punches and kicks. It was hard for Kokoro to watch Lee fight so hard just to miss Gaara every single time.

“Well, is that all?” Gaara asked when Lee took a break from his offense. “I hope you’re not done entertaining me. We haven’t had enough blood.”

The insane expression Gaara showed unsettled her stomach and she looked on helplessly as Gaara caught Lee’s leg with his sand and threw him hard against the wall. She looked at her dad and said, “Someone has to do something. Gaara’s just playing with him!”

“We can’t interfere with the match,” Kakashi said simply.

“Lee wouldn’t want you to stop the match,” Gai said seriously. “He hasn’t shown his best yet. Lee!” he yelled. Lee looked over from his perch on a tall statue overlooking the fighting area. “Take ‘em off! This is an exception!”

Lee smiled brightly and sat down. He pulled off the bright orange leg warmers and revealed a set of weights attached to his legs. Weight training. Something Lee and Gai used to increase their speed and their strength. Also, something Kokoro turned down. Her dad tried to convince her to do it, but one day with the weights and she was ready to quit.

Lee dropped his weights, and they created a huge blast when they contacted the floor. Lee disappeared and reappeared in front of Gaara. While he still couldn’t hit Gaara straight on, his fists made it past the defensive sand shield. The surprised look contrasted with the neutral and menacing glare Gaara had permanently etched on his face. Slight amusement rolled through Kokoro’s frame and she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. What happened next made her freeze.

Lee jumped into the air and threw his leg straight down, hitting the back of Gaara’s head harshly and causing him to lean forward. His kick caused Gaara’s face to split open with a shallow cut, and Gaara began taking the fight seriously. He was outwardly angry, and his movements became erratic as he tried to evade Lee’s advances. Lee hit Gaara directly across the face and sent Gaara careening backwards. Gai and Naruto shouted in excitement as Kokoro remained quiet. Gaara stood up and sand began separating from his skin.

_Of course, _Kokoro thought, _he has an armor made of sand._

She remembered the kiss she had tried to give him when she saw him for the first time in years. It had been gritty and earthy. Unpleasant. He must always have his armor up. He must really see the world as his enemy. The thought saddened her, and she realized how important it was for her to reconcile their friendship. She watched Lee twirl high into the sky and crash on top of Gaara’s form. She gripped the railing tightly and leaned forward to get a better look at the scene. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was Lee and a pile of sand. Gaara materialized behind Lee with a menacing expression and relentlessly attacked Lee until he was haggard and beaten down.

But Lee had a trump card, or rather, eight.

The Eight Gates located within someone’s body to limit the flow of chakra to protect people from overexerting themselves. Any shinobi or person who could unlock the eight gates was stronger than any other person. The amount of power, speed, and agility that came with unlocking the gates was unparalleled to any jutsu. Of course, there were drawbacks. The body was not built to withstand that much power and strength, so the body starts to tear itself apart in response. The more gates a user opened, the more pain they felt. And Lee just opened the fifth gate.

Lee pulverized Gaara, smacking him around and breaking through another sand armor. It was hard for Kokoro to watch as she tried to keep up with Lee’s blurry moves. With one final burst of power, Lee kicked Gaara to the ground. Dust and dirt exploded from the ground and Kokoro had to shield her eyes from becoming red and blurry. Lee fell to the ground, rolled to a stop, and groaned in pain. Kokoro frantically searched the cloud of dust keeping her from seeing Gaara after she deemed Lee okay. He’d hurt for a while, but he’d be fine. The dust cleared and she saw Gaara lying on a pile of sand, disoriented and shocked. He was straining to breath and looked pitiful on the ground.

Kokoro heard her dad scoff and glared at him. He met her gaze evenly. On the battlefield, Lee slowly stood up as Gaara held a hand out in his direction. A giant hand made from sand formed and was sent at Lee. Lee tried crawling away, but it was no use. The sand wrapped itself around Lee’s left arm and leg and crushed them.

Kokoro’s eyes widened and she shook her head furiously to the side. The sand went to coil around the rest of Lee’s body, but Gai interfered, protecting Lee from death. Flashbacks of what happened in the Forest of Death plagued Kokoro’s mind and tears rushed down her face. Lee had almost died. Gaara had tried to kill Lee. Lee, who had worked his ass off to get where he was currently. Lee, who was so enthusiastic and optimistic and believed in everyone, even people like Neji who constantly put him down.

“No, no, no...,” she muttered repeatedly. Why? Why Lee? Why’d he have to hurt those who didn’t deserve it? Lee got up, but it was like he wasn’t aware of his actions. He was unconscious, yet his body was still mobile. Gaara saw this and tried to attack again. Her hands balled into fists and she jumped the railing right as Naruto did. Naruto looked at her and rushed to Lee’s side, but she ignored him as she ran towards Gaara. Gai blocked the attack just as Kokoro made it to Gaara. Gaara stopped attacking and glared at her in disdain.

“Kokoro stop!” Kakashi yelled. He jumped the railing, too, and went after her. Kokoro placed her palm against Gaara’s chest and pushed him. He stumbled back and tensed. The sand whirled around him in a flurry of anger but did not attack her like everyone thought it would. Instead, Gaara scoffed and tried forfeiting. He walked away, ignoring the disbelief written on Kokoro’s face.

“Why?!” she shouted, halting him in his movement. “There was no need for you to do that to Lee!”

“Kokoro enough!” Kakashi shouted as he pulled her away from the Suna genin.

“Kaa-san is satiated. Leave me alone before she hurts you, too,” he said.

“Snap out of it, Gaara!” she shouted. “You’re better than this!”

“Shut. Up,” he gritted out. The sand responded to his emotions and crept closer to her.

“You can’t keep hurting people because you’re angry at those who hurt you before! Stop being the monster they all think you to be! Please!” she begged him. She begged him to stop with all his merciless acts, begged him to stop hurting everyone, begged him to say it was all a prank and he was only messing around, begged him to give her a shy smile and apologize.

“I should have crushed you in that forest,” he spit out. She screamed feral in anger and threw a punch. It was caught by the sand and she yelped as it tried crushing her hand. Thinking fast, she grabbed a kunai out of her pouch and sliced through the sand. It disconnected from her flesh and fell in a limp pile before it was dragged back into Gaara’s gourd. She advanced again only to be pulled back harshly by her dad.

“Enough!” the Sandaime shouted from his perch. “Both of you will stop this instant or you will be disqualified!”

Kokoro breathed heavily in her dad’s arms and sobbed pathetically in front of everyone. She cringed back at the looks she was getting from everyone and curled into her dad, squishing her face into his chest and muffling her cries. He rubbed her back in comfort and moved her away from the unaffected redhead. She took one last look at Gaara and came to the same conclusion she came to in the Forest of Death: he was no longer her friend. She looked at Lee’s unconscious form lying on the ground surrounded by medics and her mouth set into a line. She’d get stronger for him, for her friends. She vowed to get stronger and protect them with her life from everything so they wouldn’t turn out like _him_. She didn’t want to lose another friend ever again.


	23. Chapter 23

"Let me get this straight," Kokoro said with sass. She was standing in front of her dad with her hands on her hips and an unimpressed look on her face. They were in the hospital visiting Sasuke. Naruto was standing beside her with his hands crossed over his chest and his lips pursed. He was side eyeing Kakashi, who sighed in exasperation. "You're training Sasuke in some secret location and throwing me and Naruto off to the side?"

"Don't look at it that way, Kokoro. Think of it as learning from a different teacher. You did complain when you found out I was to be your sensei. Use this opportunity to learn from someone else," Kakashi said easily.

"You're just making excuses," she said angrily, "and you're playing favorites!"

"She's right!" Naruto shouted. A nurse gave him a pointed glare and placed a finger in front of her closed lips. Kokoro glared at the woman and waved her off. "Who are we gonna train with anyway?!"

"Don't worry, Naruto," Kakashi said. "I've found the perfect teachers for both of you."

A man with round, dark glasses and a bandana adorning his hitai ate walked up to Kakashi and greeted him. He looked at Naruto and raised his nose in the air. Kokoro instantly disliked him. He seemed like the type of person to look down on others.

"Aw not him!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You two know each other?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah! He's the pervy guy-"

The man placed a hand over Naruto's mouth and laughed awkwardly. He gave Naruto a look and said, "I have no idea what he is talking about."

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Naruto, meet your sensei for the month, Ebisu. He's a jounin that specializes in training other elite shinobi. What you need the most is to learn the basics and Ebisu is the perfect person for the job."

"Naruto isn't going to want to learn from someone he doesn't like. And what about me?" Kokoro asked.

"Haku agreed to train you when he gets back from his mission."

"And when is that?" she asked impatiently.

"His mission should take no more than 5 days to complete."

She clenched her hands into fists and bowed her head. Her hair curtained around her face, covering the anguish on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but bit her lip to stop herself from yelling. She took a deep breath and quietly asked, "What do you see in him that you don't see in us?"

"It's not that there's anything different about Sasuke, it's just. . ."

"Stop lying," she said with gritted teeth. Sasuke was a genius. She already knew that. She also knew he was a hard-working one and that she could never be on his level with the way she usually trained. Her dad was a kid genius, too, and was already a jounin by the time he was her age. He tended to write off anything that he felt didn't have the potential to advance fast. It was a trait of his that she'd noticed, and it was why she had pushed herself so much when she was younger. As she got older, she got lazier and stopped trying as much. She was already at the top of her class, so she felt she didn't need to advance any more.

The looks Kakashi gave her of disappointment when he thought she wasn't looking turned into looks of acceptance, acceptance not to expect much from her anymore. His excitement to train her lessened and over time, she felt she was becoming a nuisance. He tried to hide it, but Kokoro knew her dad enough to see it. When she was put on Team Seven with Sasuke, she saw that excitement come back. It was Sasuke, not her, that was causing that.

She turned her back to him and grabbed Naruto by the arm. She pulled him away from Kakashi and Ebisu, and said, "We'll show you. We don't need you."

The small Hatake pulled Naruto until they were a few meters outside of the hospital. She let Naruto go and huffed in her spot.

"Kakashi-sensei is just too stupid to realize what great ninja we're gonna be," Naruto said easily. Kokoro sighed and turned towards Naruto. She gave him a small smile and pulled him into a hug.

"Good luck training, Naruto," she whispered in his ear. "Get stronger and show everyone what you're capable of."

"Thanks, Koko," he said as he pulled back. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and smiled widely. "I won't go easy on you in the tournament so make sure you get strong enough to beat me."

She snorted and pulled his hitai ate down his face so it covered his eyes. She rolled her eyes and said, "I can already beat you, baka."

Naruto lifted his hitai ate and looked sheepishly at her.

"Anyway," she started, "I gotta go."

"Where ya going? I thought Haku was on a mission," he said confusedly.

"He is," she confirmed. "There's someone else I want to help me."

She walked off just as Ebisu approached Naruto and scolded him. She chuckled at the banter they exchanged and silently wished the jounin luck with dealing with the knucklehead. Kokoro sifted through the village looking for a certain green spandex-wearing man. She wasn't sure if he'd agree to help her, especially since he had his own genin to look after, but it was worth a shot. There were certain aspects of her skills she wanted to improve. Her speed and strength needed improvement, her genjutsu recognition and usage was terrible and needed a lot of work, and she needed to add more ninjutsu to her arsenal. She was disheartened to find that she needed so much work done, but she was adamant on improving. An image of Lee laying on the ground with broken bones, the total opposite of his usual demeanor, hardened her resolve.

Her plan was to build up her strength and stamina by asking Gai for tips and advice and increase her ninjutsu arsenal by training with Haku. She should have known she'd find him in the training grounds with Neji and Tenten. She approached the trio and stiffened when Neji turned his pale eyes on her. He looked at her suspiciously and regarded her with caution.

"What are you doing here? Are you spying on me for your incompetent teammate?" he asked.

"No. I came to ask for help from Gai-sensei," she answered truthfully. Gai regarded her carefully before he nodded his head.

"Ask and you shall receive!" he said cheerfully. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to improve my speed and strength. The boy I have to go up against is quite quick and strong."

"Kuragari Enkai of Kiri, right?" Tenten asked. "The way he defeated Choji was brutal."

"Exactly," Kokoro said. "I know you have to train Neji, and I don't want to take away from that. I just want a few tips to increase my speed and strength."

"You already know my methods, Kokoro," Gai said. "You didn't want to train then. What makes this time any different?"

"I need to get stronger," she answered. "I saw the way Lee was defeated by Gaara and I don't want anything like that to happen again. I know I'll never become a great kunoichi like Tsunade if I continue to slack off. I'm serious this time, Gai-sensei, so please give me another chance."

"You're on a first name basis with the Suna genin," Neji observed.

"That doesn't matter," Kokoro said quickly. "Not anymore, at least."

"I'll start you with some weight training. I'm surprised Kakashi isn't training you," Gai informed her. "No matter! Come by tonight and I'll set you up with some weights. I'll also provide you a taijutsu regiment to follow."

"Dad's training Sasuke," she said flatly. Then she bowed and said, "Thank you, Gai-sensei for all your help. Good luck with your training, Neji."

"Like I need it. My destiny is to defeat him, and his destiny is to lose," Neji answered.

"He might just surprise you."

* * *

Training with the weights was challenging, and Kokoro was quickly reminded how out of shape she was. Gai started her off with two pounds for each arm and leg; he wanted her body to get used to the extra weight before giving her any larger weights. They were black and easily blended in with her usual attire, which she was thankful for; there was no way she was going to wear orange. The extra eight pounds to her body weight was weird and she struggled to get used to the sluggish way her arms and legs moved. The taijutsu regiment he gave her was also tricky. No wonder Lee and Gai were so powerful. She could barely get through it without feeling like she wanted to pass out.

The weights were a constant presence in her life. The only time she took them off was when she took a shower and when she had to sleep. She persevered through the pain and tears and pushed herself harder than she had ever done. She spent hours at training, often finding herself lying on the ground looking at the twinkling stars in the sky with heavy puffs of breath leaving her mouth. By the time Haku was back in the village a week later, she was using the five-pound weights.

Haku took a day to recuperate from his mission before he started training Kokoro. She was happy Haku was back in the village. Since her dad was out training Sasuke, she'd been home alone with nothing but her thoughts. If she wasn't trying to ward off thoughts about an old friend, she was trying to ward off thoughts about being a failure. Her dad was a genius, a child prodigy that made jounin at the age of ten. Her grandfather was an amazing shinobi, too, and was hailed as the White Fang. He was as powerful as the Sannin and was a hero of Konoha until he chose saving his teammates over completing his mission.

Both of them were praised for being amazing, and Kokoro was scared she'd never get to that point. She didn't want to be known as the weak Hatake. She wanted to make her own mark on the shinobi world and make her dad proud. Was it wrong of her to want her dad to train her instead of Sasuke? Her dad was an active shinobi and an immensely popular candidate when it came to missions. She grew up with him going on missions for days, weeks, and on a few occasions, months at a time. She was passed from person to person - Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Genma, Choza, Shikaku - and could only hope her dad completed his mission safely. She treasured the time he spent with her when he returned to the village and had to constantly remind herself that he was doing good for the village when he left. Sometimes she wished her dad wasn't such a renowned person.

Training with Haku was surprisingly fun. Like last time, Haku was strict and expected her to focus, but this time he was playful and taunted her shamelessly. She smiled at his antics and continued to give it her best effort. He was teaching her the Thousand Water Needles of Death jutsu, a ninjutsu he used against Sasuke during their fight in the Land of Waves, and how to tweak the jutsu so that the number of needles created changed.

Haku made a game out of her training and goaded her on. She had ten minutes to try to strike his water clones with the needles as they flit around the training grounds. For every clone she hit, she got fifty points. Once she scored five hundred points, Haku would treat her to some treats. If she didn't reach five hundred points by the end of the game, she had to run ten laps around the training grounds and run through a series of ice exercises before she could try again. While the penalty wasn't as bad as it sounded, after losing the game five times, she was spent. Still, she kept going and by the seventh day, she won!

She happily ate her shio daifuku and sipped on her matcha. Haku sat across from her with his own combination of dessert and tea. He took a bite of his food and swallowed before he said, "You've done well this past week with training. You haven't been distracted once, and you've almost mastered the jutsu I showed you. What's changed?"

Kokoro sighed and held her hands together under the table. She stared down at them and said, "I've realized that I've been slacking off lately. I might have defeated Tenten during the preliminaries, but she almost bested me. And I couldn't do anything to stop Gaara from hurting someone if I wanted to. I'm weak, and if I keep training like I don't care, then I'll always be weak."

"You aren't weak, Kokoro," Haku said gently. "You are one of the most promising genin in this village. Maybe you've lacked incentive and haven't been motivated to train properly. You compare yourself to others too much, and it clouds your mind. Focus on becoming a great Kokoro instead of a great Kakashi or a great someone else."

"How do I do that?" she asked while looking up. "How do I live up to Hatake expectations and become a great me?"

"Don't try living up to the expectations of your family. Create your own expectations, your own goals. Remember when you told me about the beginning of your mission to the Land of Waves? You hurt that shinobi and you became conflicted. Your dad wanted to turn back, but you refused. Why?" Haku prompted.

"I wanted to see if I was cut out to be a kunoichi," she answered after a pause. "I didn't know if I could purposely hurt someone for the sake of a mission. I wanted to continue so I could strengthen my resolve so that I wouldn't freeze up anymore."

"Exactly. You worked towards a goal you made for yourself until you accomplished it. That's what motivates you. Like now. You're training with such fervor and fierceness. You must have some goal in mind," he said.

"I want to be strong enough to protect those close to me. It's not a very original goal, but I felt so hopeless seeing Lee get injured so badly. Not to mention Gaara...," she trailed off. "He's so unhinged and isolated. I feel like it's my fault he's gotten so bad and almost killed Lee."

"You're not at fault," Haku argued. "You couldn't have known. You live in Konoha and he lives in Suna. You couldn't have been with him his entire childhood and stopped whatever monstrosities were happening to him."

"The rational part of me knows that, but the other part of me can't help but think that way."

"You used to write him letters, right?" Haku asked. "Try writing out your feelings towards him. You don't have to send it, but I think writing to him helps you cope with how you feel about 'abandoning' him."

"It has been awhile since I last wrote him a letter," she mused.

"Good. When we get back to training, I want to show you a variant of the Thousand Needles of Death jutsu. It takes more energy to perform, but it allows you to gather more water to create more needles. We'll also be sparring against each other for the remainder of your training. I want to see how much your battle intelligence and taijutsu skills have improved since our training before the Chunin Exams started," he said.

"Can you teach me the ice mirror jutsu you do instead?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"Not yet," he said with a shake of his head. "Besides, you need to avoid using your ice release during the finals. Because a Kiri genin made it to the finals, the Mizukage will be present. If she sees you performing that, she'll ask questions."

"I don't understand," Kokoro said frustratedly. "I am a Konoha shinobi. She can't make me move to Kiri."

"She can't make you move there, but she might request to speak to you on the matter. Since the reign of the fourth Mizukage, Kiri has been in civil unrest. If she could get someone of a clan that was hunted and killed during the fourth Mizukage's reign to move to Kiri, she could show the citizens of Kiri that changes are being made." he answered gravely.

"I'd never go for that, though," she reasoned.

"There are other ways she can coerce you into being in Kiri for long amounts of time."

"Okay, okay I get it," she said grumpily. "I get a super cool kekkei genkai and I can't even use it. What a bummer."

Haku chuckled and ruffled her hair in affection. She grumbled and swatted his hand away. They stood up so Haku could pay for their meal and left the small establishment. They spent the rest of the day training until Haku deemed Kokoro was on the right track. When Haku retired for the night, Kokoro sat down at her desk in her room and took out a pen and some paper. She stared down at the blank piece of paper and thought over what she wanted to write. She yelled quietly in frustration and gripped her gray hair tightly. Why couldn't she think of something to write? It took her twenty minutes to throw caution to the wind and write without thinking. Once she was done, she read it over and decided she would mail it to his house in Suna. Maybe he'd finally read all her letters and realize he had people who cared for him.

* * *

_Dear Gaara,_

_I always thought our reunion after all those years apart would be better than it was. When I saw you again when you came to Konoha with your siblings and your sensei, I was excited to finally talk to you again. But you didn't share the same feelings. You pushed me away again like you did the last time I visited Suna, and you made some mean comments to those around us. I thought maybe you were mad at me and taking it out on the others, but I realized I was wrong._

_I never thought I'd view you as someone who regarded others with no kindness. You were such a nice person when we met. You were shy and kind and full of happiness. Seeing you hurting that Ame genin in the Forest of Death was scary. I didn't think you were capable of something so gruesome, yet you killed them without any regrets. You almost killed me, too. I guess it's a good thing Temari was there to stop you._

_I think about that incident a lot, you know. You were going to treat me the same way you treated those Ame genin, those people you didn't even know. You were going to squeeze the life out of me like it was nothing, like we weren't once friends. At the time, I wondered how mad you had to be to resort to actions like those. If you had been the same Gaara you were when we first met, you would have ignored me for some time before giving into my persistence. But you aren't that Gaara anymore, and I think I've come to terms with that._

_When you hurt Lee like that, I was so mad. I was mad at you for hurting someone who only looked at life with optimism. I was mad at you for hurting someone who only looked at life with optimism without hesitance. I was mad at you for hurting someone who only looked at life with optimism so badly that their career as a shinobi could be over without hesitance. I was mad at myself for not getting through to you before the Chunin Exams started, for not trying harder to dispel the negative feelings that overtook your mind during the time we were away from each other. But most importantly, I was mad at myself for not protecting my friends._

_There had to have been something I could have done to keep in contact with you. I could have addressed a letter to Temari or Kankuro with instructions to give the letter to you, or I could have tried to beg my dad or the Hokage to visit you again. Part of me feels guilty for leaving you alone for so long. But the other part of me knows that I couldn't have done anything more._

_I think I finally understand that you are not my Gaara. You've been plagued by death and violence and hatred. I wish you weren't, that you didn't have to go through the things you did to make you the way you are, but I can't change anything now. Instead of chasing after you, I'm going to put my energy into improving and helping my friends. I keep hurting myself by imagining that our relationship will go back to the way it was before, and if I continue, I'm sure it will end up hurting my friends, too._

_I will always cherish the short-lived friendship we had during my stay in Suna. I don't regret meeting you and playing with you or writing all those letters. I wish you all the best, Gaara. When we meet again, it will be as enemy genin from conflicting villages. Don't worry, I won't go back on this promise._

_Kokoro_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Kakashi is not a perfect dad. I've always imagined him struggling with fatherhood a little bit because he has some resentment towards his dad and grew up without him in most of his life. Also, in Chapter 21 I added a sentence or two to explain how the Kiri genin got into the finals. I forgot to add them in that chapter and realized it when I read the chapter over. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will be the finals of the Chunin Exams! I will have the chapter up hopefully by Tuesday!
> 
> I was out for a bit because I got the stomach flu and was sick for about a week. Then my gastritis flared up (which was not pleasant at all T.T) so I was not in the mood to write. I'm getting back into writing and will be updating as much as possible. Fingers crossed that nothing else happens.
> 
> Thank you for all your support! I hope you all are safe and healthy! I hope you had a great holiday while I was gone (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, New Year's, etc.) Let's all start 2021 with happiness and love!


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